FF: TSW Gaia's Gift
by weyland-yutani
Summary: Second half of the final chapter uploadedall done! Read & review!
1. Chapter One: Phantom Crater

Disclaimer: FF:TSW and the related characters don't belong to me, if Square wants to raise a fuss let 'em because I'm broke!****

Author's note**: **This work of fiction picks up right where the otherwise nicely done movie left us hanging at the end. I felt that is wasn't really fair to us fans, so I decided to continue it on the way I felt was logical. And there might be something really BIG around the corner the road for Aki & Co.! So, read on, review, and enjoy! 

Chapter One: Phantom Crater 

The great eagle gave a shrill cry and circled in the early morning breeze. A flick of her tail feathers and she effortlessly descended, head cocked as her keen eyes regarded the object that was hovering precariously close to the edge of a gaping fissure. Had the bird of prey swooped even lower, she would have noticed a small platform that was being winched slowly upwards, and the two still forms upon it as it emerged from the dark shadows of the crater below.

Aki felt the newly-risen sun on her face, and her thoughts traveled back over recent events…the joyous discovery of the final eighth spirit; the deadly beam of the Zeus Cannon lancing down again and yet again, as General Hein single-mindedly sought to destroy the phantoms; the crash-landing of the Quatro containing Gray and herself. Her brown eyes brimmed with tears as she looked down at the silent, motionless figure whose head she cradled in her lap. Gray Edwards had selflessly sacrificed himself so that Aki, Dr. Sid, and the rest of humanity could survive. Now his body, an empty shell, was all that remained. 

The platform's upward travel slowed, then stopped with a slight jerk before retracting into the Black Boa's main loading bay. The main hatch swung closed as Dr. Sid coaxed the ship over to starboard and maneuvered it to a touchdown on firm ground. He left the cockpit and quickly headed aft to the loading bay. Upon entering the bay, he got one glimpse of Aki's face, and immediately knew what had happened. He paused, his eyes expressing sorrow.

Aki's voice was choked. "Gray was brave. He knew this was a one-way trip. He did…he did what he had to do." She gently laid his head on the platform and stood, stubbornly ignoring the pins-and-needles sensations in her knees. Dr. Sid knelt and slid his hands beneath the captain's arms. Aki grasped his ankles, and together they carried Gray into the craft. 

"Let's get him into the medical lab. Easy, now." Walking backwards, Dr. Sid led the way to the small infirmary that was attached to the main lab. Carefully, they lay the courageous Deep Eyes leader onto the table, and Sid looked around. "I'm afraid that I don't see anything to secure him with."

Aki glanced up, eying the cluster of overhead analysis equipment. 

"Here. I can use a stasis field to keep his body from…shifting. That will do until we get to Houston." She reached up and flicked a switch. There was a low hum and a shimmering silver field surrounded the prone figure. 

This done, she sighed and leaned against Dr. Sid, and it was then that her emotional dam broke and she was swept away in a tide of misery. Her shoulders shook with her sobs and she turned her face into Sid's chest, barely hearing the comforting words of her mentor, who embraced her and wordlessly allowed his protégé to express her anguish. 

After a few more moments, she pulled away and hastily wiped at her tear-streaked face, somberly heading towards the cockpit.

"Let's go," she said. "There's nothing left for us here now." 

                                                                        *                                  *                                  *

Its powerful engines powering up from standby mode, the Black Boa prepared for departure. In the pilot's seat, Aki ran through the standard pre-flight routines. Her movements were automatic, almost mechanical; her mind was filled with nothing but thoughts of Gray, and what he meant to her, now, in the end. Emotionally exhausted, she gazed out of the portside window.

The phantom crater was a huge empty eye socket, its malevolence gone now that the phantoms had departed. Dr. Sid had been in contact with Houston, and had been relayed the news that the Zeus Cannon, and all aboard, was now nothing but a rapidly dispersing cloud of gas and debris in low earth orbit. Down in the Leonid impact site, somewhere, there still remained the wreckage of the Quatro that she and Gray had utilized in their attempt to project the spirit wave amalgam. Unless a salvage team was dispatched here, that vehicle would remain undisturbed for decades. If only Hein hadn't fired his cursed weapon, Edwards would still be alive and sharing her company even now. She tried to pay no heed to the sorrow within her, but it was hard to do. 

It was so damn hard.

"Everything is stowed, Aki. Are you ready?" Dr. Sid asked softly, looking at her with concern. He had taken the co-pilot's seat and belted in, his hand gently yet firmly squeezing her arm.

The ship's pilot took a deep, shuddery breath. "Yes. The autopilot course is set to Houston Barrier City coordinates." She grasped the left-hand joystick, her other hand stroking the control keys, and increased power to the VTOL system as she coaxed the shuttle upwards. The landing gear retracted as the linear aero-spike boosters went through their priming cycle. The passengers were pressed down into their seats as acceleration began to build, and then both the crater and the Caspian Mountains were rapidly falling away and slipping astern. The ship turned westward; the few clouds that remained were beginning to thin out as the day warmed. 

Dr. Sid opened a common broadcast channel, and the cockpit was immediately filled with the babble of enthusiastic newscasts, which were spreading worldwide about what had occurred at the crater. The two scientists were evidently already regarded as heroes.

He listened on for another minute, and then rolled his eyes, grunting as he killed the radio and looked at Aki.

She sat slouched in her seat, face expressionless, staring out of the forward viewport as they entered the upper layers of earth's atmosphere.

"Aki, Captain Gray and his squad died protecting us. Had Hein succeeded with his plan, the entire planet would have suffered. As is stands now, we have saved human civilization. Gray would not have wanted you to grieve for him."

She sighed. "Yes, I know. But it's just…I pushed him away in the time following my operation, and I shouldn't have done that. He loved me, and it's only now that I understand how much…that I'll miss him."

Aki lapsed into silence; the only sounds in the cockpit were those of the quiet chattering of the shuttle's flight systems. She was so uncharacteristically out of it that she almost failed to hear a series of faint beeps from the ship's sensor suite. After another moment she finally noticed it, and irritably reached over to shut it off. Then she froze, cocking her head. When she spoke, her voice was curiously flat.

"Dr. Sid, did you shut down the sensors after you detected the eighth spirit?" 

"No, I didn't. Why?" Noticing her odd manner, he tilted his own head towards the readout. Then his gaze slid sideways and met hers. "Wait a minute…"

An idea began to form in Aki's mind. Her fingertips danced on the floating holographic controls and she shoved the stick over. The vista outside slipped to starboard as the ship banked around and headed back towards the impact site. "Autopilot off-line. I'm taking her down. Something is in that crater!"

Sid grasped the arms of his seat as the floor tilted away beneath him. "Aki, are you certain that we're not just picking up the Quatro? It _was powered by ovo-packs, maybe a couple are still functional."_

Her eyes, narrowed now, flicked towards him, and her voice showed signs of animation. "No. It's something else…take a closer look at that readout. The pattern…it's different from any other signatures we've ever recorded. Whatever the scanner has acquired possesses a faint trace of a _human waveform! If this warrants an investigation, I believe that this is all the reason we need." _

Aki's voice lowered to a near-whisper. "Whatever it is, it's not phantom energy…"

                                    * * *

Once again the Black Boa touched down, and not more than a few meters from its original landing spot. Aki hastily unfastened her safety harness and was out of her seat almost before the engines had ramped down to idle. She hurried back to the lab, opening the main storage locker and strapped on her wrist computer, reconfiguring its settings as she did so. She reached into the open locker again and brought out a shoulder pack, then checked the charge on her light rifle. This was the same weapon that she was armed with in the ruins of Old New York. She had a suspicion on what she might find, but nevertheless had no intention of departing the Boa unarmed. She walked back to the cockpit and poked her head in.

"Dr. Sid, I've got to go down there," she said, securing her headset. "That waveform could be more than just the a mere power cell. I don't know how to explain my hunch…but I intend to find out!"

   Sid regarded the headstrong young woman. "I'll monitor you from the cockpit. I want you to remain in constant radio contact, you hear?"

   Aki acknowledged his concern with a small nod, before heading to the landing bay once again. As Dr. Sid moved across to the pilot's station, he called after her. "And Aki?"

   She paused in the passageway, looking back over her shoulder.

   "Be careful."

   A small smile crossed her face. "I will, doctor." She entered the bay and stepped onto the parked platform, holding on as Dr. Sid brought the Black Boa's main engines up and flew the craft towards the crater. Sunlight flooded in as the huge loading door hissed open. As Aki waited for the craft to position itself over the chasm, her gaze was drawn to the infirmary's doorway. Hope stirred faintly within her. Would her crazy plan work? She turned and faced the open hatchway, her hair stirring as the breeze outside picked up slightly. Finally, the ship was at station holding; Aki activated the lift controls and the platform arm swung out. The winch motors hummed, and she began her descent into the crater. Large slabs of dark rock began to rise on all sides, and memories rose unbidden, as, for the second time, she entered the lair of the aliens. 

_But there are no aliens here now, she thought. __No more phantoms, just the Earth's Gaia, restored._

Once the roaring of the Boa's engines had dropped to something a little less ear-splitting, she switched on her com unit. "Dr. Sid, do you read?"

A slight hiss of static, then: "Yes, Aki, loud and clear! What is your position relative to the power signature now?"

"According to my tracker it lies to the southeast, roughly fifty-two meters from my current location. Can you verify?"

Up in the cockpit, Dr. Sid brought up a holographic display. An icon designating Aki's position was slowly dropping towards a large flat outcropping, essentially a wide rocky ledge that jutted out into a chasm of unknown depth. A larger symbol indicated the Quatro, which was indeed not too far off the heading she had just radioed.

"Confirmed. But be aware that some of those larger rock formations are showing signs of instability. This probably occurred when the alien Gaia departed."

"I read you, doctor." More minutes passed, then: "I'm nearing the bottom…okay, I'm down." Suddenly she gave a cry of surprise.

"Aki! Come in!"

There was a pause before she answered. "I'm alright, I just slipped a bit…the floor is uneven. I'm heading towards the source now." Above her the sky was a wide circle of azure blue, crossed with mid-level clouds, but her immediate surroundings were dark and ominous. She activated her headpiece light and eye scanner, and the shadows near her evaporated; stony cliff-like structures loomed all around. She only now grasped the sheer power the massive alien Gaia had expended when it had headed deeper underground, in its attempt to escape Hein's vicious attack. 

She began to walk. The crevasses surrounding turned the faint whine of the hovering Boa's engines into eerie howls, making a chill run down her back. She kept her weapon at the ready and continued on, boots crunching on small pieces of rock and debris. 

After a few more minutes of picking her way along the uneven cavern floor, she made another report. "Dr. Sid, the waveform source is dead ahead, just past a rock fall." She managed to find footholds in the small heap of broken stone, and she scrambled over. What lay before her brought her up short.

"Oh, my God…"

Her earpiece clicked. "What do you see, Aki?"

For a brief moment, she could not reply as she took in the scene, which was dimly illuminated by the faint skylight above. She slowly descended the pile of rubble and approached the remains of the Quatro. Two of its wheels lay askew, the drive units crushed, and the globular cockpit area was a ruin. A small fire still smoldered fitfully, casting a wan glow. Dark smoke rose from the engine's ventilation grille. 

The forward fringes of her spotlight picked out faint marks on the ground. She turned the full force of the illumination on them, and shivered as she realized what she was seeing. They were the serpentine tracks made by the heels of Gray's boots; she had hauled him away as well as she was able, her grief granting her the strength to get his body back to the lowered platform. With a real effort, Aki composed herself and spoke, her voice echoing around her.

"The Quatro is pretty much destroyed, doctor." Aki said as she neared the wreckage. She glanced at her wrist unit, which alerted her with a series of beeps. "But the energy source is stronger-I'm getting readings from within the vehicle!" 

She mounted the short stairway and ducked her head inside, coughing as she got a lungful of acrid fumes. Amid the mess scattered about she caught a glimpse of a discarded nocturne rifle. She remembered removing its ovo-pack, under protest from Gray, patching it into the vehicle's shield generator and using its power to "download" the spirit that she had carried within her. 

Aki consulted her wrist computer once more. The source was very close by, literally within arm's reach. She cast about, searching…

Then she saw it.

Battered and dented, the rectangular power cell lay half-hidden beneath the broken passenger seat, where it had slid to rest on the slanted floor. Aki reached for it, her hand trembling slightly. Then her fingertips were touching the dark alloy case. Pulse racing, she grasped it and brought it up to her eyepiece, and gasped, for the tiny holographic screen of her headset had never misled her. 

The ovo-pack flared with the blue glow of bio-etheric energy.


	2. Chapter Two: The Other Side

Disclaimer: No, I still don't own any of the FF:TSW characters, no matter how much I kick, scream or bribe Square! 

Author's Note: This chapter is a short one, but the next one will be longer! 8^) The way I work, I tend to make up the plot as I write, no high-school-Lit Class "outlining" here…

Gaia's Gift

Chapter Two: The Other Side

   When Aki emerged from the crater for the second time that morning, her bearing had changed. She had radioed only that she had discovered something "of great importance", and urged Dr. Sid to obtain the records of the Deep Eyes' personal scans. Examination for phantom particle infestation was SOP for squad members returning from every mission outside the city's barrier, and only she, Dr .Sid, and few others had access to that classified data. Very soon after her peculiar request, she got a reply that the information had been found.

   Footsteps echoed on the deck plates as Aki impatiently waited for the platform to bring her aboard. Sid appeared as she shrugged off her shoulder bag and carefully opened it. She reached in and withdrew the ovo-pack, gently placing it in his palm.

   "So, this is it? Hmm…" He pursed his lips thoughtfully then glanced up; Aki was looking at him strangely, her face an unreadable mask. What was she thinking? Was it hope? Or, perhaps, carefully guarded optimism? 

   Dr. Sid went over to the main science station console and took a seat. Hovering beside him, Aki activated the machine and the bio-etheric scanner controls took shape and color before them.

   "I'm going to reset the parameters for human patterns. Now, let's see just what you've discovered here." Sid placed the ovo-pack in a small chamber and closed a clear shield over it. He manipulated a few controls, and a line of bright blue-white light appeared and traveled down the length of the pack's casing. Once it reached the end, it reversed direction and returned, shutting off as the message "scan complete" appeared. As the results scrolled up on the display, Aki nervously gnawed her lower lip. Dr. Sid brought up the Deep Eyes' scan records and correlated them. Her free hand, resting on his shoulder, involuntarily tightened its grip. 

   The older scientist blinked once, then twice. Then his seamed face split in a grin. "Well…I think that congratulations may be in order!"

   Aki looked at her mentor as sudden comprehension dawned on her. Dr. Sid continued, carefully guarding the optimism in his voice.   

   "The primary spiritual signature of this ovo-pack is not only human, but that of Captain Edwards! And that's not all…look here!" He touched another key, and the 3D holo display subdivided itself into equal quadrants, assigning a familiar name to each. Gray's name occupied the first, but was followed by those of Ryan Whittaker, Jane Proudfoot, and Neil Fleming. Just below each name was a bar graph that represented the scan data of each person. 

   She could hardly believe what she was seeing. As they both looked on, the four bio-etheric signatures separated and were superimposed atop the waveforms of their counterparts. They were all perfect matches. Her jaw dropped. 

   "Doctor…all of their bio-etheric energies are present!" 

   Sid's gray eyes shone. "Yes! And I'm not going to ask how or why. The energy levels are almost depleted, since the pack was discharged to a large degree. But I can stabilize that for now." He withdrew the power cell and flipped open a plate at one end, exposing a charge port. Then he turned, his voice serious.

   "Aki, when you were wounded returning from the Tucson mission, I saved you by implanting the seventh spirit directly into your body."

   "And Gray was my spiritual support!" Her hand went to her chest. Through her clothes she could feel the device that was no longer critical to her survival. "My chest plate was damaged. He was my 'anchor' while you operated."

   Dr. Sid eyed her closely, the inclination of his head encouraging her to continue. It was a trait that he displayed whenever he urged a student to think through a difficult or unusual hypothesis.

   The wheels of her mind turning, Aki spoke slowly and carefully. Behind her back, she crossed the first two fingers of one hand.  "If the seventh spirit was placed into me via the plate, couldn't we do the same for Gray? His spirit is present in the ovo-pack, and we could use it to restore him." 

   Dr. Sid nodded and tugged his beard contemplatively, appearing to mentally run through several scenarios. "Aki, you do realize that spirit transfer and restoration has never been successfully performed, at least to the best of my knowledge. This ship has a fully equipped lab, but the medical care facilities are somewhat less than ideal.

   "Also keep in mind, that if indeed we do restore the captain, we must also do the same for three other members of his team."   

   Another moment of uncomfortable silence ensued. Then Dr. Sid stood, squarely facing Aki, and his tone was open and guileless. "Gray was your link to this world when you needed him. It's time that you return the favor. His spirit needs a way to return, a 'guide', as it were."

   Aki felt her heart give a flutter. The chance that Gray might live again gave her newfound courage. She took a deep breath, glancing once more at the display, then meeting Sid's candid gaze with one of fierce determination.  

   "I'm ready. Let's do it."  

*                                    *                                    *  

   The two scientists began to prepare for what they hoped would be a successful procedure. As Dr. Sid fine-tuned the lab equipment, Aki retrieved a wheeled gurney from the emergency supply locker, unfolding it and rolling it to the infirmary. She deactivated the stasis field and Dr. Sid joined her. As they moved Gray over, she noticed something.

   "Hmm, this is odd," Aki mused, one eyebrow arching. 

   "What's that?"

   She gently rotated Gray's hand. "There are signs of rigor mortis…look how flexible his wrist is." She lifted his arm as her med-tech training came to the fore. "And the underside of his arm, here. No indication of any of his blood pooling."

   Sid straightened the captain's legs on the gurney. "Rigor mortis can generally set in anywhere from ten minutes to several hours after clinical death. If I didn't know any better I would say that he is in a unique state. Not comatose, but not truly dead." 

   They completed transferring Gray to the stretcher and moved him into the lab. As Dr. Sid checked the ovo-pack, Aki began to unfasten the front of her uniform. Then she blushed slightly, remembering just where she was. She hastily excused herself and walked out into the small passageway that joined the lab module to the rest of the ship. There, she removed her jacket and the thin t-shirt beneath. She reached around her back, fingers following the thin wide band of elastic material that secured the chest plate against her sternum, and located the release clasp. There was a soft click, and the ingenious solid-state mechanism that Dr. Sid had created slid free. It was, quite literally, a weight off of her chest. 

   She took a moment to marvel at the compact device, which had generated a shaped force field within her body that had contained her phantom contagion. It had actually saved her life twice; once when she was initially infected, and again when it took a slug from one of Hein's soldiers in the Tucson mission. Now, it would play a key part in bringing back a lost soul. 

   Aki rapidly buttoned herself back up and returned to the lab. The illumination had been turned down. Beside the table that Gray lay on, the holographic surgical control sphere glowed in its standby mode. She handed her chest plate over to Dr. Sid and looked at Edwards.         

   Small electrical leads had been placed on his brow and the back of his right hand. These led to a nearby monitor. Upon the screen were displayed numerous body functions, and Aki glanced at it. Her double take turned into a gawk of astonishment. 

   The lines representing Gray's brainwaves, heartbeat, respiration and all other body activities were neither flat nor active. Instead, they showed typical peaks and dips, but the difference was, they were not in motion. They looked as if they had been frozen in mid-function. 

   Sid noticed her gaping. "I don't even pretend to understand just what has happened to him, but the sooner we can get underway, the better the chances are of his recovery."   

   He plugged a pair of slender leads into the chest plate and, with Aki's aid, secured it to the Gray's chest, sliding it beneath his shirt and reaching beneath him to fasten its strap. He then connected it to a thicker cable that ran directly to the ovo-pack, which lay on the main operating control stand. Then he touched its activation switch. It cheeped and a green 'ready' light glowed. After making a few more checks and satisfied that all was set, Dr. Sid looked up.

   "Everything is as ready as it's going to be, Aki." He motioned towards the second table that was arranged alongside Gray's. 

   Aki sat down upon its edge before swinging her legs up to lay flat on her back as Dr. Sid prepped his subdermal injector gun. She reached over to hold Gray's cool unfeeling hand.  

   "It seems like the roles were reversed, not too long ago, doctor," she said softly, not without a small mirthful smile. Sid placed an encouraging hand on her shoulder, and she touched it lightly. 

   "You have a strong will, Aki. We both know that your spirit is likewise. Let it be the captain's guide home." He raised the injector and touched its cold tip to the left side of her neck as she forced herself to relax. 

   Aki heard the hiss and felt the slight sting as the drug, injected by a short burst of pneumatic pressure, entered her carotid artery and began to spread through her brain like wildfire. Within thirty seconds, she struggled to keep her eyes open; with the last of her flagging strength she turned her head to look at Gray. The final visualization her imagination conjured up before her vision faded and she was whisked into oblivion was of innumerable embers of blue light. 

   Aki opened her eyes…and saw nothing. No strange vista this time, no gigantic moon rearing up into a hazy sky, no arid ground rumbling with the approach of battling alien troops. And she heard nothing, just the soft thudding of her own pulse. Before her and behind, above and below, an endless field of black surrounded her. Weightless, she floated in a stygian ocean of inky blackness. Her zero gravity training automatically took over and she effortlessly twisted in place, but there was nothing to see. She raised her hands before her face, then looked 'down'. She could see herself as always, a solid corporeal body. 

   "Hello?" she heard herself call out. The sound was oddly muffled, as if she were shouting in a soundproof room. "Gray? Can you hear me? Where are you?" 

   There was no response, and she began to despair. Would they be able to successfully restore the captain's spirit? Or was this all in vain? She felt very alone, drifting in the vast emptiness that had housed Gray's soul, his thoughts and dreams. Aki closed her eyes, waiting…

   How long she had been here, she had no idea. Time had no meaning. But something whispered on the edge of her awareness, like a faint sensor ghost on a scope; she could not tell from which direction it had come. It was distant, but hauntingly familiar. She concentrated, reaching out into the void with all her senses. 

   _I'm here, _she said wordlessly. _Gray, if it's you, find me! Please!_

   Another heartbeat, and she felt the silent presence draw nearer. Her eyes opened again. But now, something had changed.

   A faint sparkle flickered off to the left. She could not tell if it was far or near, or if it was drawing closer or growing in intensity. It began to develop into a vaguely humanoid shape, edged in electric blue. As the details began to fill in, the features became recognizable. Finally the apparition was floating silently before her, a man-sized spirit composed of brilliant blue light. It reached out a ghostly hand, and tentatively she did the same. Their fingers touched, then intertwined, and her heart filled with joy as she felt the warm familiarity of Gray's soul envelop her. 

                                                *                                  *                                  *

   Gray's voice, no more than a ghostly whisper, sounded within her mind. 

   _Aki…it's you! How? You're not...?_

_   No, I'm still alive and kicking, Gray,_ she answered, her reply tinged with humor. 

   _How is it possible that you're here, then?     _

   _Your body is back aboard Black Boa. You're wearing my chest plate now…Dr. Sid and I are using it to try and restore your soul. I am your spiritual support this time._

      Ethereal laughter echoed in her head. _We do keep saving each other's asses, don't we? And the phantoms? Did the wave theory work?_

   _Yes, it was successful! The phantoms are gone! We were about to depart when the ship's scanner detected the ovo-pack from your nocturne rifle. I retrieved it, and Dr. Sid discovered that it contained not only your spirit, but also those of Jane, Neil and Ryan! _A wave of sorrow rolled through her now. _If only you didn't have to sacrifice yourself, Gray. General Hein could have held his fire. Even he could have seen that the waveform would have worked!_

_   Hein. _Distaste was evident in his tone._ What happened to him?_

_   The Zeus Cannon overloaded, and destroyed the station. _

_    How typical of the general, _Gray said wryly. _And so, now you're going to try and bring me back? _

   She 'grasped' his other hand as well as she was able_. Yes… somehow, your essence remained here, while the phantoms departed with the alien Gaia. Don't ask me how, but the spirits of the other Deep Eyes were also drawn to the ovo-pack. Dr. Sid and I noticed that your body is in a dormant state; all of your functions are suspended. We assume that the same thing holds true for the others. But I don't want to take chances and linger…we must get to them as soon as possible!_

   Aki felt an odd sensation, like the touch of a feather, as Gray brought up a hand and brushed his fingertips lightly along her delicate cheekbone. _Then if you can revive me, do the same for the others. Show us the way back, Aki._

   Aki saw his eyes close. _Concentrate, Gray, _she urged. _Focus on returning to the material world. And to me…_

   His outline seemed to grow softer, fading, and she felt momentary panic as his voice sounded in her mind once again. It was fainter now, and his touch became more and more tenuous. Aki felt as she was holding onto a handful of smoke.

   _Something's happening…Aki!_ Gray had all but vanished, only a slight wisp of nebulous blue vapor marking the space he once occupied.

   Then he was gone, and she was left alone in the darkness once again.


	3. Chapter Three: The Awakening

Disclaimer: FF:TSW characters are still Square's babies.

Author's note: one down, three to go…and I don't mean chapters either! 

Chapter Three: The Awakening

   Dr. Sid observed his screen carefully, watching for any changes, for Aki would be awakening at any moment. Her dosage had been timed for fifteen minutes, and Sid was reluctant to administer a stimulant, for the readouts showed her life-signs as strong and steady. He smiled inwardly. His diligent student of many years in some ways had surpassed him when it came to spirit research. A dedicated pupil, she had quickly grasped the rather abstract principles of the waveform theory, and in this respect she was much like her father, who had also been a successful scientist in his own field. Unfortunately, the majority of the scientific community regarded the views of both Sid and Aki to border on that of radicalism; few if any of their fellow colleagues viewed the Bio-Etheric Division as a legitimate branch. Now, though, with all that had happened within the last twelve hours, it was highly doubtful if any skeptics remained.

    A sigh and a soft moan interrupted Dr. Sid's ruminations. Aki stirred, slowly raising her a hand to her forehead. Her liquid brown eyes blinked open and focused on the med-lab's low ceiling.

   "Gray?" She looked over at him, propping herself up on her elbows, still clasping his hand in hers. "Is he…?"

   "As of yet, his condition remains unchanged."

   Ignoring her slight headache, she groggily slid off the examination table and went over to look at the screen. Upon it, Gray's body floated in an eerie wireframe graphic.  

   Her smooth brow furrowed and she whirled to face Sid. Her hands clutched the edge of the console in frustration. "No! Doctor, I made contact with his spirit!"

   Now it was Dr. Sid's turn to express astonishment. His eyebrows shot up towards the top of his bald head. "You did?"

   "Yes! We spoke…not exactly words, but with some sort of telepathy. I felt…his spirit touch me. When I explained what we were attempting to do, he promised that he would return." She looked at him lying motionless, her eyes growing misty. "Can we initiate resuscitation procedures?" she inquired hopefully

   "Not advisable. His system is in a very delicate state right now. If we attempt to employ any sort of stimulant, it may be too much. The shock could very well kill him. Let his spirit find its way back, Aki. You communicated with him, therefore he must be aware of what is happening. Trust him, give him a bit more time."

   Aki's eyes remained fixed on the medical monitor. _I know you can do it, Gray, she thought fiercely. __Where's that legendary Edwardian confidence you were so proud of, that attracted me so when we first met at HMA? The peaks and valleys on the screen remained lifeless still._

   And then they moved.

   Aki realized that she had been holding her breath when her heart began to pound in her ears with great snaffling thuds. She remembered to breathe and approached the table. When she spoke his name, her voice was thick with emotion.

   "Gray…?" 

   Beneath his closed eyelids, the bulges of his corneas rolled. They stopped and his lids hesitantly opened, exposing slivers of brown irises behind his lashes. Then, as he became more lucid, his eyes opened wider and they shifted to take in his surroundings. His chest rose and fell with each steady respiration, and his lips moved as recognized the nearer of the two present.

   "Aki," he said, his voice hoarsely rasping past dry vocal cords. "Am I…?"

   A truly beatific smile lit up the young scientist's face. Momentarily unable to speak, her own eyes moist, she could only give a nod as an answer. The apprehension she had been saddled with ever since she recovered the ovo-pack drained out of her, because the one person she had developed true feelings for was here, alive again before her. She gave in to her emotions and embraced him, tears spilling down her face.

   Gray returned the gesture as well as he was able, wincing as he felt a bolt of pain lance up his left side. "Ouch! Easy, Aki." 

   Dr. Sid assisted as Edwards gingerly turned to sit on the table's edge. "It looks like you won't be needing this any longer," he said, indicated the slight lump that Aki's chest plate formed beneath the captain's battered shirt. Gray remained still as the other man carefully removed the device and set it aside, and detached the sensors from his forehead and the back of his hand. "Your vital signs are stabilizing, captain. Once again, welcome back. Try not to make this a habit, hmm?" An ever-so-slight smile was just detectable on his lips.

   "How are you feeling?" Aki asked. She stood beside the table, finding solace in the simple act of speaking to him.

   "Like hell…I could use some water. Ribs are sore, too." Then he gave a lopsided grin. "Now I know what an HMA combat training dummy must go through." 

   Gently, Aki helped him to his feet, and together they crossed the small lab to a reclining chair in one corner. It was similar to the zero-g 'couch' that Aki had used in her sleeping chamber when she recorded her dreams. The Deep Eyes leader carefully reclined onto it.

   "We'll have to get those ribs checked. Standard medical procedure." Aki opened a nearby cabinet and began to rummage through it for medical supplies.

   For some strange reason, Gray found the thought of her being so concerned about a couple of bones over the restoration of his spirit, oddly funny. He started to laugh, but these turned into ugly-sounding coughs, and a bruise on his temple was turning a nasty shade of purple. Aki looked up in alarm as he grimaced and held a hand to his side. "Yep, that's my Aki, always the professional med tech," he managed to say. Gratefully, he accepted the small zero-g container of water from her, breaking the seal and taking long sips as he lay back on the padding. 

   "What do you remember about the mission, captain?" Dr. Sid asked. Aki had handed him a roll of white field dressing, and he now paused in the midst of unrolling a length of it. 

   Gray's face became thoughtful as he attempted to recollect his memories. He spoke hesitantly.

   "I…recall descending into the crater with Aki…we found the eighth spirit, and then General Hein attacked. That huge alien appeared, and pulled down the Quatro. _Earth's Gaia was down there in the crater, too. I gave Aki my rifle's ovo-pack so she could project the final spirit wave. And then, we were caught in a heavy blast." His eyes were haunted. "The shield projector malfunctioned. I…remember us leaving the vehicle, and walking over to the edge of a chasm."_

   Here he halted, and glanced at Aki, who had crouched beside him. Silently she dropped her eyes; she knew what he was going to say next, and it was difficult for her to listen.

   "I took the wave from her, and I… _died."_

   "But it wasn't all for naught, captain!" Dr. Sid said. "Your spirit carried the completed energy pattern that successfully healed Gaia!"

   "Then just what, exactly, happened to the phantoms? Were they destroyed, or-"

   "Not destroyed, Gray," Aki broke in. "They're gone…departed from the earth." 

   "Yes. Several satellites were able to track them. Before they vanished for good, they were heading into the direction of deep space."

   Gray grunted as he pondered that bit of news. He looked at Aki and Sid, and then his gaze fell upon the blocky shape of the ovo-pack. Power conduits and a few thin cables were still plugged into it. He nodded in its direction.

   "So…that's where I was, huh? And Ryan, Neil and Jane are still 'in' that thing? Hard to imagine…but then I've seen plenty of strange stuff lately, so it seems. How do you plan to restore them as well?" 

   Aki's reassuring touch was light on his arm. "The same way we got you back, but we must return to New York Barrier City, so we can retrieve their bodies." She stood. "Dr. Sid, I'm going to prep the ship, and fill in the Council about just what happened."

   "I'm sure that they are more than eager to hear the details. I wonder how they'll take the news about Captain Edwards," Sid chuckled. "Go on and get ready, I'll attend to the captain, his bad ribs notwithstanding."

                                    *                                  *                                  *

   Once again the Black Boa cleared the craggy peaks of the Caspian Mountains, but this time there was a third survivor aboard. The thunder of the shuttle's engines echoed against the desolate mountain slopes as it climbed higher into the late-morning sky, dwindling to a dot before disappearing, her pilot laying in a course that led directly to the last human metropolis to fall before the aliens were defeated: New York Barrier City Number 42. After a burn of a mere forty-five minutes the ship completed its injection maneuver and settled into a low orbit, racing the sun as it headed towards the Atlantic Ocean. 

   Once the autopilot took over, Aki leaned back in the pilot's seat and pressed her palms against her eyes, which had begun to redden and feel itchy. She gave a huge jaw-cracker of a yawn. It had been a very long day, and the end was not yet in sight. She was grateful for the weightlessness, and yearned for a short nap, but even as her body was announcing all sorts of little aches and pains and her growling stomach decided to join in the chorus, she felt an obligation to find the rest of the Deep Eyes first. Ryan's wound had been especially ugly, and he would more than likely require surgery in Houston before they attempted to restore his spirit. She hoped it wouldn't disrupt the spirit restoration process. 

   As far as her briefing with the Council, of course they were elated that the overall mission had been a success. The phantoms that had been witnessed by those few remaining New York evacuees, had been said to freeze, turn a brilliant blue, and then simply fade away. Head council members Drake and Hee wanted a full report upon arrival at Houston Barrier City, something that Aki felt could wait a little longer. Instead, she requested permission to land at New York Barrier City, and when the Council wanted to know just why she wanted to return to an abandoned metropolis, Aki was more than happy to drop the literal bomb in their laps, and she backed up her story with footage of Gray's recovery. Councilman Drake had not said anything for a very long moment, and Aki was growing fidgety when he broke the silence, his gaze piercing even on a video screen.

   "Permission granted, Ms. Ross. Do what you must and then head directly to Houston. We will have the central hospital standing by." Before he signed off, Aki saw him start to turn to someone else just out of camera range. 

   "You know, Norr," she had heard him say. "I really don't know if I can take any more surprises today…"

   Her belly grumbled again. "Oh, all right!" Sighing, Aki reached over and opened the food rations compartment. She found a ration bar, peeled it, and wolfed down half of it in one bite. It was bland, as usual shipboard fare went, but she polished it off regardless. It would have to hold her until she could get to some real food. As she stifled a slight belch, the doors behind her slid open and Dr. Sid floated into the cockpit. 

   "How is he doing, doctor?" Aki inquired.

   Grabbing a handhold and easing his body into the starboard seat, Dr. Sid favored her with a neutral gaze. "Oh, I think that the good captain is pretty much back to his old stubborn self," he said light-heartedly. "I ran a complete physical and asked him some questions to assess his short and long-term memory functions. You'll be happy to know that he passed with flying colors."

   Aki grinned, and Sid continued. "Now, he does have hairline fractures of the third and forth ribs on his left side, and a few scrapes and bruises, but nothing serious. He wanted to come up here, but I managed to persuade him to rest for awhile longer." He thanked her when she held out another ration bar, and tucked it into a coat pocket.

   "Humph. That didn't sound easy. Ordinarily, you can't keep him still for a moment."

   Sid's face turned sly and he appeared to find something of interest on the cabin's ceiling. "I threatened to slip him a sedative if he didn't heed the advice of the head physician."    

   Aki was momentarily speechless, and then laughed out loud and her companion did likewise. Chuckling to herself, she allowed her eyes to drift to the windows, becoming mesmerized by the smooth limb of the earth's horizon and the starry vault above it. Dr. Sid likewise was drawn to the peaceful blue planet rolling by below. He could detect the coastline of northern Africa coming into view, half-hidden beneath a layer of clouds. The earth was safe once again, thanks to the courage of Aki and Gray. But although the phantoms were gone, mankind still had plenty to do…rebuilding of the population, and the overcoming of old fears. There was an entire generation born who had never known life outside the eternal glow of the barrier cities. They had never enjoyed a sunrise, the feel of the breeze on their faces, or the sight of grassy fields. He wondered where his bio-etheric expertise would lead him now, that the main threat to human existence had been eliminated…he suspected that his responsibility would shift in the direction of re-introducing fauna to the world's nearly-depleted woodlands and natural parks. He turned to ask Aki what her take might be on the matter, but what he saw made him decide that the question could wait.

   She was fast asleep. Exhausted, the increasing pressure that she had been operating under for the last couple of months had begun to take its toll, leaving her slightly gaunt and causing her to lose her temper more easily. She really needed some rest, and so Sid let her be. Consulting the flight computer's itinerary, he saw that it would still be several hours before they even got anywhere near the eastern seaboard of the United States. Silently, he vacated his seat and went aft towards the darkened med lab, where he checked in on Gray.

   The captain had also allowed the specter of sleep to claim him. The blanket that covered him was secured to the sleep couch, so that he would not suddenly find himself awakening in mid-air. Dr. Sid grunted in soft satisfaction, retrieved two similar blankets and brought them up to the cockpit. Aki had begun to snore softly, and Sid smiled as he unfolded a blanket and draped it across her, securing the hook-and-loop tabs to the retractable buckles on the sides of her seat. She murmured something unintelligible and curled up beneath the blanket. Sid returned to the co-pilot's chair, set the console alarm to sound prior to de-orbiting maneuvers, and covered himself as well. Very soon, he too was dozing, dreaming of a future earth where the barrier cities were no more.

   And the Black Boa sailed on towards the Atlantic, on its quest to rescue the rest of the Deep Eyes.


	4. Chapter Four: Three Percent

Author's note: okay, here we go…

Disclaimer: The usual red tape. Except for General Tobias, who is mine!  =8^).

Chapter Four: Three Percent

   A hand gently shook Aki's shoulder.

   "Aki? Wake up." 

   The voice she heard was not the learned one of Dr. Sid, but of a man for whom she once had had affections for, someone who had died for her and had returned again. His memory brought her out of her slumber quicker than any alarm clock, and her eyes popped open to focus on his smiling face. 

   "Rise and shine, sleepy-head."

   Behind him Dr. Sid gave a shrug. "Sorry. The captain woke up just before I did and pulled rank," he said drolly.

   She stretched and unwrapped herself from the blanket. Gray seated himself at the small auxiliary station behind Sid and pointed at the viewport.

   "Looks like we're approaching the east coast," he stated. "How are we for re-entry?"

   Aki rubbed the last vestiges of sleep from her eyes and read her board. "About twenty minutes before final approach." She activated the ship's attitude-control system and tapped in some commands. The jets fired in brief spurts and the shuttle rolled a few degrees. 

   Dr. Sid turned in his seat. "While we still have some time, perhaps we should briefly discuss how we should retrieve the others."

   Aki thought for a moment. Then: "The main reason that I searched for Gray first was because his waveform signature was dominant among those of the Deep Eyes. But while I was in contact with him, I also sensed that the other three spirits were present and aware of what was transpiring. They should be able to find their way once we activate the chest plate."

   Gray was still not quite convinced and expressed his concern for his fellow team members. "How sure are you that they're not going to get lost or something like that? I'd hate to see Jane end up in Neil."

   "I'm positive that the procedure will go smoothly. As far as Ryan is concerned, though…we can cut him out of the jeep, but it would be best if the actual restoration was performed in Houston, where we'll have access to the proper surgical facilities. Dr. Sid, what do you think?"

   The older scientist switched his gaze between the other two. "I concur. Once we touch down, you and Gray can extract the sergeant. I can restore Jane and Neil here in the lab."

   The main computer bleeped for attention as it picked up the city's coordinates, and the shuttlecraft began to rock, pushing its occupants against their safety harnesses; outside, the views of the earth and sky began to be obscured by wispy streaks of bright incandescence.

   "Better strap in tight," Aki advised. Mild tremors ran through the ship now and below, the re-entry shield on the craft's belly began to glow a dull red, then bright orange, the ceramic tiles shading over into white-hot as the ship plunged into the earth's atmosphere and scratched a fiery trail across the sky.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

   The air cracked with a series of sonic booms as the Black Boa continued its descent, crossing the coastline. In the empty buildings below, dirty windows rattled and fractured, dust sifted off of ledges, and in countless dark deserted houses old dishware chattered in the cupboards and racks; some of the plates and saucers tumbled to the floor and shattered amidst the skeletal remains of long-dead inhabitants. The east coast rolled over the horizon, and although she was still three miles up and some distance from her destination, Aki noted the lack of any air traffic whatsoever as she neared Long Island Sound. She flew on over the patchwork ruins of Mt. Vernon and the Bronx, turning west just past Queens and dumping airspeed as she approached the East River, aiming for the main hanger at the southern tip of the barrier city. Nobody said anything as they took in the sight outside.

   Except for some fitful flickering patches here and there, the familiar glow of the bio-etheric force field was gone. Within the gigantic darkened ribs of the barrier's framework, a few widely scattered building lights were seen. Several large fires blazed unchecked; without the damage-control teams to combat them, they had randomly spread among both the prominently wealthier central districts and the slums that lay just inside the perimeter of the dead barrier's monolithic supports. 

   By now the ship had flown around to the deserted city's south end and extended its landing gear. Dr. Sid touched a switch and brilliant blue-white beams lit up the hanger's exterior platform. The main door still gaped open, and Aki expertly guided her ship in, orienting on the massive interior control tower. She took the main engines off-line, relying on the secondary thrusters to maintain a steady hover as she jockeyed to a gentle landing. The wheels touched down with a soft bump, and the hydraulics sighed as the Boa rolled a few more meters before stopping and making herself comfortable. Aki ran through her post-flight check, looking out of the forward window before she spoke.

   "I didn't ever think that I would be coming back here."

   Gray's quiet reply was chilling. "None of us did, Aki."

   Without further discussion, the three survivors rose as one and left the cockpit to begin their mission in New York Barrier City, which had become, almost overnight, a city of the dead.

   Gray clipped on another earpiece communicator, then hefted the spare nocturne rifle he had found aboard, checking the weapon's ovo-pack as the ship's bay door opened. He knew that there was no threat from the phantoms, but detested the idea of leaving the ship unarmed. Not bothering with an explanation he chambered and fired a bio-flare off into the hanger, which had grown lighter as the sun rose higher. The shot shrieked across the vast space, shedding particles like a strange miniature comet. He squeezed off two more shots off in different directions. Beside him, Aki activated her wrist scanner, and gazed out through her eyepiece. She shook her head.

   "Nothing. It's safe to head down."

   "Hmph. So much for that. Can you detect any survivors?

   The scientist reset her scanner's parameters. "No. Either they evacuated in time, or-"

   "Yeah." He safed the rifle and lowered it. "Dr. Sid, is the lab ready?"

   "Yes. We can restore Neil and Jane once they're aboard."

   "Then let's head out. The sooner we do this, the better I'll feel." All three stepped onto the boarding platform and were lowered to the hanger floor. The ship's floodlights surrounded them in a pool of brilliance; on the lights' periphery the spindly impound gantry towered nearby, and they started walking in its direction. As they neared it, Aki could make out a pair of motionless forms collapsed on the elevated platform. She felt her heart sink a little as she climbed the short stairway and knelt by the body of Jane Proudfoot. Beside her lay Fleming, and were it were not for their ashen faces and awkward positions, they would appear to be asleep. They and everything around them was covered by a very fine film of dust, the result of debris kicked up by the Black Boa's full-throttle escape from the huge Meta phantom. 

   Dr. Sid rolled the stretcher to the foot of the stairs, and he and Aki placed Jane onto it. Since there was only room for one, they were obviously going to have to make a second trip for Neil. Gray frowned. 

   "Wait. Here, hold this." He handed his rifle to Aki who, nonplussed, awkwardly accepted its unfamiliar weight. "Gray, what-"

   "There's no time for two trips. You and Sid take Jane, I'll bring Neil." He hopped up the stairs and scooped up the tech, his injured ribs creaking alarmingly as he carefully balanced Fleming across his shoulders.

   "Captain, mind your injuries," Dr. Sid cautioned.

   Gray grunted and tried to maintain a brave front as he walked down the stairs and trotted to the shuttle. Behind him, Sid glanced at Aki, who rolled her eyes before following. The two pushed the stretcher before them.

   Once aboard, Jane was moved onto the medical table and Aki hooked up the chest plate device. As Dr. Sid powered up his equipment Gray placed Neil on the adjacent table and turned towards the bay once again. "Okay, time to get Ryan."

   "Doctor?" 

   Sid glanced up at Aki from his control console, and waved her on. "Go on. Jane looks like she'll be fine, and I don't foresee any complications." 

   Aki acknowledged this, and entering the main bay again, crossing over to a tool locker and sliding out several drawers arranged within, where various devices were secured in vibration-proof compartments. 

   "I know I have a small laser cutter in here." She pushed one drawer closed and pulled out another. "Ah, here we are!" She lifted out a small plastic case, placing it on the nearby workbench and unlatching the lid. Looking around her shoulder, Gray saw the stubby gun-like shape of a light-duty laser cutter, capable of slicing through most metals short of the toughest alloys. A set of protective goggles, their smoke-colored lenses tinted almost to opacity, sat beside the small power cell.

   "And it's fully charged." Aki noted, pleased, shutting the case and placed it on the stretcher beside her medical field pack. She looked at Gray who held his rifle again and heaved a sigh. "When _are_ you going to give that thing up?"

   He favored her with a smirk. "When the sergeant is back here."

   They boarded the platform again and descended. Most of the small fires scattered about had long since burned themselves out, but smoke and an oily haze still hung in the air. The early morning sun shone through the external supports of the barrier framework far above, the shadows forming bizarre patterns on the airtray. 

   "Ryan should be over in this direction. He set off the ovo-pack trailer in order to distract the Meta." He looked, and sure enough the debris of a supply trailer lay scattered about. A huge scorch mark framed a shallow crater, evidence of a sizeable explosion. Wreckage lay everywhere. Beyond was an emergency fire door; the blast Ryan set off had activated the hanger's emergency containment system. 

   It took the two a few more minutes to cross the considerable distance. Gray located the door's controls, which still appeared intact. He depressed the buttons in sequence and placed his palm on the main switch.

   "Let's pray that this still works. Stand clear!" He applied pressure, and somewhere above, a huge motor hummed into life. The massive door began to swing ajar, and they strained to peer into the growing wedge of darkness beyond. As soon as it fully opened Gray stepped forward, weapon at ready since he didn't know what to expect.

   Aki's stomach flip-flopped when she saw the wrecked jeep, and Gray's lips were set in a tight expressionless line as he neared the vehicle and the slumped figure that was its sole remaining passenger. The bent metal strut had still pinned him in. 

   The doctor already had the small case open and was connecting the laser cutter's power supply. "If you can steady him, I'll handle the cutting."

   He was about to voice a protest but then decided to let her proceed. After all, she was a med tech, and besides, Ryan was a big man. Gray soon found himself holding Whittaker's stocky upper body out of the way to allow enough operating space for Aki, who managed to wriggle between Ryan and the heavy gun mount. She had removed her headset and her eyes were now hidden behind ovals of darkly tinted glass. Gray had to turn his face to one side, his own eyes narrowed to slits to avoid the brilliant glare of the cutter's greenish beam as it chewed away at the strut. It took only minutes, though, for Aki worked swiftly. She shut off the device and slid her goggles off, blowing out a breath.

   "Okay, done." She hopped out and braced a foot against the side of the jeep, tugging the twisted metal as well as she could away from the injured sergeant. As the clearance grew, Gray pulled Ryan over to the vehicle's other side; between the two of them Whittaker was quickly moved onto the stretcher. The med tech opened her field pack and sprayed disinfectant around the base of the wound, ignoring the clotted blood. She had seen far worse out in field duty.

   Gray gazed at his best friend, and Aki noticed the worry lines that were creasing the captain's brow. She sought to console him.

   "Don't worry. He's lost less blood than I first feared, and the metal hasn't pierced him completely." She finished packing her hardware and donned her headset as they began their trek back to the ship. 

   Gray snuck a quick look at Aki, who was walking on the opposite side of the stretcher from him. It was then that he began to realize the depth of all that she and Dr. Sid had accomplished in the past few days. He doubted if any other person, man or woman, could have been as determined. Living on borrowed time with an alien infection, risking her life to locate the last three spirits and literally saving the world and the Deep Eyes to boot…now that was most definitely something to write home about. The thought made him chuckle to himself and he was rewarded with an elegant eyebrow arched in his direction. Though Aki's face was weary and her uniform smudged, he found that it didn't diminish her attractiveness one bit.

   "What?" she asked, her tone one of curiousness.

   "Nothing…no, really!"

   Her retort was cut short as Dr. Sid's voice sounded in Gray's earpiece and Aki's headset. "How are you two doing with Ryan?"

   "Aki and I have him, doctor," Gray replied. He looked at Whittaker again, then continued. "We're almost back to the ship. What's up?"

   Although tinny and transistorized, the answer held a note of suppressed excitement. "Once you get up here, you may find someone who'd like to say hello!" 

                                    *                                  *                                  *

   Jane lay in the reclining seat on one side of the lab, observing with more than a little interest as Dr. Sid continued his efforts to revive Fleming. After she had come to, the doctor had helped her off the table and walk, weak and disoriented, over to where she was now recovering. She had felt a knot on the back of her head, presumably when she had collapsed on the impound platform, and she generally felt like hand-made crap all over. _Well, _she thought wryly, _it's not everyday that someone gets the life sucked out of them! _She remembered Neil's death all too well, though; a particularly cunning bastard of a phantom had hidden behind the gantry's control station, rising up to thrust its tendrils through the tech and ripping his soul from him. Very unlike the fierce female recruit who had fought tooth and nail to earn a modicum of respect throughout her HMA days, this Jane Proudfoot had frozen in uncharacteristic horror, springing into action too late and emptying her nocturne point-blank into the alien spirit, only to be surrounded by a literal forest of tentacles pushing up through the floor around her. Her vision had faded to black as the gigantic Meta phantom had swatted her life force away, and then she knew nothing more, until now. 

   Voices sounded in the corridor outside, and she turned her head in time to see two familiar people enter. She raised a weak hand that was immediately caught in a firm grip. 

   "Captain! Hey-" she said, trying to sit up.

   Gray placed his other hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her back down. His voice was curiously gentle. "Save your strength, Jane. You're safe aboard Aki's ship."

   Her eyebrows knitted in confusion. "What? But…how?"

   "Give your thanks to Dr. Ross and Dr. Sid. It's a long story, I'm sure that you be hearing plenty more soon. The short version is that the Deep Eyes are back. As a matter of fact, Neil should be coming around any minute."

   Still a bit bewildered, Jane looked from her commanding officer to Aki. "But he was killed, I saw it…what about the sarge?"

   Aki knelt. "We got him out of the jeep, but since we thought it wise not to risk aggravating his injury, he's in stasis now. We're leaving for Houston Barrier City, and we'll operate on him there."

   "And the phantoms? Did your plan work?" 

   "They've been defeated. They won't haunt us any longer." She gave Jane a reassuring smile, then stood and walked over to Sid. She knew that Proudfoot had more questions, but they would have to wait. Now, standing beside her mentor, Aki looked on as he concentrated on bringing his current patient back to the living world. He was radiating that calm aura of experience that she had found reassuring when she had been a mere medical intern. 

   "Almost there," he murmured. The tips of his fingers manipulated his control sphere, and his gray eyes darted between his readouts and the glowing ovo-pack. Like the life-signs of Gray and presumably Jane as well, Neil's were immobile, frozen upon the screen. 

   "Time?" Aki inquired softly.

   A holographic key changed color under his touch. "Just over fifteen minutes now, about the same as the others. He should be-" The steady beep-beep of the cardiac monitor interrupted him; Fleming's vital signs were showing normal activity, as if they had never ceased. On the table, the tech began to stir weakly. Gray gave Jane's arm an encouraging squeeze and stood beside Aki as Neil awoke. 

   Fleming gave a groan just before his eyes flew open like unrolled window shades. His hands went to his chest and frantically ran over his torso, like a man anxiously checking himself for bullet holes. Finding himself more or less intact, it was only then that he noticed the others who, bemused, had been watching his antics. Embarrassed, he tried to relax as Sid removed the chest plate and sensors.

   "What…captain? Where am I?"

   "Man, if this isn't the question of the day! Relax, Neil. We'll fill you in on the way to Houston."

   "Houston?" He sat bolt upright, eyes roving about the lab before finally settling on the resting figure across the room. "Well, what do ya' know? Jane!" His voice was too cheery as he slid off the table and sauntered over. "Anyone ever tell you about sleeping on the job?"

   Proudfoot ground her teeth and managed to overcome a homicidal urge, almost wishing that she were anywhere else but here. Maybe being dead wasn't so bad after all. She closed her eyes.

   "Neil, if you even think of talking to me right now, much less come near me, what I will do to you would give even a phantom nightmares."

   "Um…" The tech stopped in midstride, and looked around nervously. Aki and Gray were leaving for the cockpit. Wisely, he decided not to pursue the matter.

   "So, where's Ryan?"

   Sid was securing his equipment. He genuinely liked Fleming, but the young man had a bad propensity to be chatty at the wrong moment. He wondered how the rest of the Deep Eyes managed to put up with him. Still, he was part of an elite team and had shown courage as well and deserved an answer, especially after all he had been through.

   "He's being held in stasis. Due to his injuries, we'll perform the operation at Houston's main medical center."

  "Oh. Can I…see him?" His attitude had changed, taking on a somber air.

   He appraised Neil with an honest eye. "Down the main passageway, second door to your left."

   "Thanks, doc." He trudged off to see his colleague, pausing as the Boa's engines whined, then rose to a howl as the craft slowly turned to face the hanger's exit. Neil swayed, then braced himself and pressed his face to a nearby porthole. He could see the deserted hanger, walls sliding past as the main drives kicked in. There was not a sign of life anywhere out there.

   Suddenly, something yellowish flashed across his field of vision. He jumped back with a yelp before realizing that it was nothing more than the girders of the impound gantry. _Damn idiot! _he chided himself, giving himself a mental kick before leaving the lab. 

                                    *                                  *                                  *

   The flight to Houston Barrier City #12 was comparatively uneventful. Aki kept her ship on the edge of the stratosphere this time, not wanting to bother with a time-wasting re-entry and ending up burning more fuel than was necessary, which by now was beginning to run low. The fact that Ryan still remained to be operated on was foremost in her mind. How would his wound affect the restoration process? Time was of the essence now. On top of that, Neil had confessed that he had really never attained his "space legs", something a recovered Proudfoot had taken pleasure to tease him gleefully about.

   "Oh, so mister hot-shot throttle jockey can't handle zero-grav? That wouldn't be very nice, turning Doctor Ross's ship into another vomit comet." Jane gave a hardly-concealed snicker.

   "What do you mean _another?" _Fleming whined. "I'll let you know that the only reason I was forced on that flight to the Zeus station was because General Hein requested a good tech to troubleshoot the computers. Not like _I _had a choice! And furthermore-"

   "Neil! Put a sock in it! You're giving me a headache!" Gray snapped. He, Neil and Jane were riding in the passenger module just aft of the cockpit. 

   "Yes, sir." The tech clammed up and suddenly becoming engrossed in the view thorough the compartment's only view port and pointedly ignoring Jane, who stuck her tongue out at him when the captain wasn't looking.

   Very shortly after, the Black Boa was soaring over the outer Texas plains, the afternoon sun revealing the mild hills and valleys of the countryside. Aki dimmed the cockpit windows against the brightness outside as the communicator vied for her attention. She activated the viewscreen, which brightened to show the features of New York's Councilman Drake. Beside him was aquiline visage of Houston's Head Councilman Kehyeyan, his half-Native American heritage evident in his strong cheekbones and black eyes.

   "Good day, Councilmen," Aki said. Both Drake and Kehyeyan acknowledged her greeting, and then the committee member of the fallen city spoke.

   "It's good to see you again, Doctor Ross. I trust that the extraction of the remaining Deep Eyes members from New York was successful?"

   Over the next ten minutes, both Aki and Dr. Sid gave their accounts of the mission. The two council members listened intently, without interruption. The report ended with a request that medical teams stand by to take Ryan to Houston's main surgical facility. 

   "Consider it done, doctor," Councilman Kehyeyan said. "We are all in dept to your brave efforts. Please extend our gratitude to Captain Gray and the rest of the Deep Eyes.  Meanwhile, we have taken the liberty of sending you an escort."

   Aki's brows shot up in surprise. "An escort?" 

   "Yes. It's the least we could do in honor of your gallantry. They should be arriving momentarily. Understand that our barrier is still active, just as a precautionary measure, of course."

   "Understood." 

   "Very well, then. We await your arrival." The image gave a curt nod and faded out, and not a minute later the Black Boa's acquisition sensors chimed as a pair of contacts showed up on the radar screen. The cockpit's occupants craned their necks, scanning the visible airspace around them. Suddenly Aki pointed ahead and slightly off to port. 

   "There!"

   Two Copperheads had appeared and now swooped past, their paths crossing somewhere behind the Boa, and they caught up to take flanking positions on either side, precisely matching the shuttle's speed. The radio crackled as the lead pilot made contact.

   "Attention Black Boa…this is Captain Michael Vernon, from the 227th. Welcome to Houston airspace! We're about four miles out from the city, so please follow us in. Air traffic control will then direct you to airtray Number Two." The bug-like drop ships pulled ahead slightly, banking as they altered course. Aki pushed the joystick to the right, and very soon the massive barrier city of Houston lay sprawled in the near distance.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

   When the Black Boa finally touched down and the side hatch opened, the crew was startled to see that a small crowd that had gathered. Immediately recognizable were all of the council members of New York, standing together with those from Houston itself; there were also a small group of scientists and some administrators attached to the council, but not a reporter in sight, thank God. As a matter of fact, aside from a unit of armed guards who had, with typical military efficiency, established a perimeter around the ship, the airtray was devoid of even any maintenance personnel.

   Dr. Sid and Aki stood on either side of Ryan's stretcher. He was covered from the neck down with a blanket; as soon as the landing platform grounded, several white-coated med techs quickly stepped forward. One of them exchanged a few words with Dr. Sid, and two others quickly wheeled the Deep Eyes sergeant to a nearby emergency vehicle. Aki was close behind, the ovo-pack and her old chest plate held close. Gray began to follow, but was stopped short by the sight of a familiar figure. Despite his fatigue, his deeply ingrained military protocol made him snap a salute. Beside him Jane and Neil did the same.

   Gray-green eyes coolly appraising, General William Tobias returned the gesture, his slim build exaggerating the easy motion. In the military for over twenty years, Tobias was now in his late forties; the ruthlessly efficient tactical skills he attained in combat had earned him the popular nickname "The Texan War Chief".  His dark brown hair was shot through with streaks of iron gray, and he still favored a severe military cut. He had known Gray from his HMA cadet days and had observed the captain make excellent progress. In fact, it had been Tobias himself who had recommended Edwards as Deep Eyes squad leader to a certain Douglas Hein, prior to the latter's transfer to New York. It was also well known that Tobias didn't exactly approve of Hein's methods, and so there was no love lost between the two generals.

   The general allowed himself a slight smile, which transformed his practical, no-nonsense face into something seemingly out of place on a military man, quite unlike the perpetual scowl that Hein seemingly had been born with.

   "Captain Edwards," he began, shaking Gray's hand and briefly letting his eyes touch on the other two members. "Corporals Proudfoot and Fleming, if memory serves correctly?"

   A pair of  "Yes, Sir's," spoken almost simultaneously, caused his grin to widen.

   "Walk with me. We need to speak privately." He led the way through the small throng. A pair of MP's seemingly materialized from nowhere and fell into step before him, causing the onlookers to hastily make way. Gray looked around for Aki, but she had already vanished with Ryan and Sid. The group walked through a nondescript doorway and approached an open set of doors, evidently belonging to an elevator. The doors closed and Tobias pushed a button for the fourteenth floor. The MP's did not join them but remained outside instead.

   "I have been brought up to date on the rather unique conditions surrounding your return, as the case may be. No need to be nervous, this information is strictly confidential." As the tense atmosphere dissipated, he continued. "Your council has convened with ours, and they have decided that the Deep Eyes receive honors befitting those of military heroes."

   Gray gaped, while Jane was goggle-eyed. She was ready to elbow Fleming in the ribs but Neil, fortunately, was too surprised to cut loose with one of his wisecracks. 

   "What of Dr. Ross and Dr. Sid?" Gray asked as the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Beyond was a well-lit hallway of polished wood walls. A thick, dark blue carpet ran its length, leading to a pair of gorgeously ebony-paneled doors. Another pair of guards, their side arms conspicuous, stood at the end of this hall and snapped to attention as the group approached. Tobias favored them with a small salute and from somewhere on his person produced a key card, pressing it against the wall-mounted reader. A chirp sounded and the doors slid open, revealing a nicely appointed room, evidently an expensive suite, with comfortable seats and a huge window that provided a panoramic view of downtown Houston. Tobias folded his tall frame onto the nearest couch, and bade the others to take a seat as well. 

   "The two doctors will receive commendations, too. Personally I must admit that when I first heard of Dr. Sid's Gaia Theory, I was a non-believer. Embarrassed to say, I even began to think along General Hein's lines in this respect!

   "But I digress. Captain, you and the Deep Eyes will be given living quarters here, in Houston Barrier City. The general populace is unaware of your arrival and is still dealing with the news that the phantom threat is no more. Plus, there is the fall of New York, which many still refuse to believe. I feel that it would be in your best interest to avoid public exposure as much as possible, at least for now. Regarding the matter of your sergeant, who is by now probably undergoing surgery, he still remains to be 'restored', is that correct?"

   Gray had seated himself across from the general. "Yes, sir."

   "Then following his recovery, the Deep Eyes will meet with myself and Majors Schuler and Patel for your debriefing. Doctors Sid and Ross are to meet with both council committees, as well."

   "Understood, sir."

   Tobias nodded. "In the meantime, I have arranged for separate rooms for you at the Goldenthal Towers. Top floor. No doubt that you all would need some quiet time, and I'd gather that getting something to eat is also high on your list, no?" His eyes smiled as he rose and began to walk towards the door. 

   "I must attend to other duties, but may be able to join you for dinner this evening. Oh-eight-hundred sound reasonable? Good. The guards will show you to your accommodations." He was reaching for the door's controls on the wall when Proudfoot cleared her throat. Tobias stopped and looked back over his shoulder. 

   "Yes?"

   "Sir, I-uh, was just curious to know…New York. How many citizens escaped when the barrier failed?"

   Tobias turned his full gaze on her, then upon her silent squad mates before staring past them for a moment, out through the large pane of glass that showed the bustling downtown Houston district in the near distance. Then he answered, though not without slight hesitation.

   "Fifty-five percent of the population managed to evacuate. Their transports arrived at various other cities. Forty-two percent are confirmed dead."

   "That leaves…three percent unaccounted for," Gray said quietly. 

   "Yes, captain. But we don't know if the phantoms may have gotten to these last before Dr. Ross's final spirit wave was completed. There has been no contact with New York proper since its barrier failed." He lifted a hand towards the switch again, but paused when it was a finger's width away. "While your council is positive that the aliens have been defeated, the council members here in Houston are not entirely convinced."

   Gray felt his insides tighten up. He had a feeling that he knew where this was ultimately headed and he didn't like it, but he screwed up his courage and plunged ahead. "And so, how do they plan to confirm that the threat has been neutralized, sir?" 

   "I'll be up front with you, captain. Once you have been debriefed, the Deep Eyes will lead a search-and-rescue team. You will board a transport and fly to New York Barrier City to search for any survivors, and to confirm that the phantoms have, indeed, been defeated."

   Silence reigned among the Deep Eyes as the general left.

   __


	5. Chapter Five: The Spider and the Wolf-En...

**Author's Note:** Alll-righty then…sorry about the delay, had to take care of some business. I was rather concerned for a while when I couldn't access the site. Aki gets to kick some ass (literally), and we find out Gray's middle name. This chapter is a bit on the long side and although I felt that although the very last paragraph could have written slightly better, I am an impatient bastard. But there may be an epilog…

Cookies to those who review, all others get fifty lashes with the severed tentacle from a humanoid phantom. 

**Disclaimer:** Do I really need to say it? "FF:TSW and the major characters contained herein belong to Square Pictures." But Dorado and his team are mine and mine alone, so take that, Square!  

Chapter Five: The Spider and the Wolf–Endgame

   Dr. Sid carefully removed the fist-sized piece of metal and proceeded with the surgery. Though he was forced to remove a section of the small intestine, he was relieved to find that the major blood vessels were all intact. Ryan was in top physical shape, and his condition had helped in limiting the damage. The operation went quickly, and the surgeons were ready to "sew" Whittaker back up within an hour of the first incision.

   "Okay, we can close now." Sid blinked a stinging drop of sweat out of one eye as he checked the container of blood that fed into Ryan's arm. A nurse dabbed his brow with a small towel, and he grunted a thanks. He glanced over the top of his facemask at Dr. Levinson, the head surgeon at the Houston Medical Center, and who now held the biostitcher, a surgical instrument that he had devised, and was fast making old-fashioned suturing obsolete. Through the high-powered magnifying eyepiece that he wore Sid made one final check of his handiwork, nodding in satisfaction, and Levinson handed the biostitcher to Sid who guided its slender tip into the wound, which was held open by stainless retractors. A faint wisp of smoke drifted up as the edges of the internal organ began to knit together; the concentrated bio-etheric field at the instrument's tip encouraged the growth of new tissue and accelerated the healing process tenfold. The few torn small blood vessels and nerves were next to be joined, and the abdominal muscles after that. Layer by layer the two doctors worked, until finally the clamps were removed and the epidermis was sealed. A temporary patch of synthetic skin, which would eventually be absorbed, revealing fresh skin, covered the site. A final mist of anti-bacterial spray and the operation was over.

   Beside Dr. Sid, Aki watched attentively and prepared the restoration apparatus once again. She had pushed her fatigue to a distant corner of her mind and walled it off, for there was time enough to get all the rest that she wanted afterward. Already in place on Ryan's broad upper body, the chest plate was connected to the ovo-pack.

   "All right. One last time, Aki" Dr. Sid said, pulling down his surgical mask and looking at the wires and cabling that linked all of the relevant components. He tugged off his gloves and powered up his console, fingers on the holographic control sphere. Around him the surgical team watched closely, not saying a word. The operating room's atmosphere was tense, almost tangible, as the minutes ticked by.

   Finally, Aki breathed a sigh of relief and looked up from her screen. "I have a pulse! Brainwave activity…respiration…he's going to make it!" Ryan's chest was moving, very slightly at first, then more noticeably as his breathing picked up. Aki made sure that he was in the clear before detaching the chest plate, but the anesthetic was still in effect. He would not regain consciousness until it wore off in the next few hours. 

   Dr. Sid made a final adjustment, and smiled tiredly as Levinson and the others congratulated him. The nurses began to remove the surgical equipment, and Ryan was carefully transferred to a stretcher and rolled away to the ICU for a brief period of observation while he recovered. 

   "Well, that's that," Sid commented, looking at the now-dark ovo-pack that had served as a temporary home for four human spirits. "What do you think we should do with it?"

   "Hmm…donate it to a museum, maybe? Along with my chest plate as well, because I never want to see that iron bra again," Aki said. The corners of her mouth rose in a Cheshire-like grin. 

   As the two tiredly turned to exit the operating room, there was a faint knock. It sounded again, and Aki glanced around, puzzled. Then she remembered that there was a small observation gallery set into one wall, one floor above, and overlooking the operating room. She looked up. Standing behind the clear glass pane were the other members of the Deep Eyes…no, strangely enough, Gray was absent.

   Jane waved, while Neil gave a goofy smile and a thumbs-up, and Aki almost laughed before she saw a shadowy figure materialize behind them. It drifted around to stand beside Jane, and Aki's smile slipped a bit as General Tobias gazed down at her. His lean face was unreadable, and he merely acknowledged the young woman with a barely noticeable incline of his head. Aki felt herself tense up, for she had never really felt comfortable around the military–Gray excluded of course–but her dealings with General Hein had pretty much tainted her view of the 'higher-up's in the USMF. An uncertain half-smile remained on her face as she hastened after Dr. Sid.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

   "And so," Gray finished, "That's how things stand right now." 

   Edwards had pulled up a chair and was sitting beside Ryan, who had angled the upper half of his bed up so that he could more easily see his visitors. Neil had taken a second seat by Gray, and Jane was leaning on the wall beside the closed door of the quiet recovery ward, her lean arms crossed.

   The three had had the opportunity to clean up, change out of their worn dirty clothes and even grab some shut-eye before being notified of Ryan's awakening. Fleming and Proudfoot had just about fallen over each other in their rush to see him, and constantly interrupted one another as they attempted to recount the story of the phantoms' defeat. Gray let them finish, ignoring the occasional barbs they threw at one another. When the sergeant had inquired as to the whereabouts of Aki and Sid, the captain had filled him in, saying that they were gearing up for a meeting with the councils of both Houston and New York.

   There was a slight twinge, and Gray self-consciously ran his hand across his side, feeling the thin bandage that replaced the earlier bulkier dressing. The medical staff had assured him that the hairline fractures on his ribs were healing up nicely.

   Meanwhile, Ryan was listening and also trying his best to disregard the maddeningly distracting itch of the synth-skin bandage and the healing tissue it protected. "So, as soon as I'm well enough to walk, the general wants us all in for a debriefing?"

   "Yep, seems we the lucky ones, sarge," Neil quipped. "Personally, why can't we just submit a written report or something? This sounds like a waste of time to me."

   "Could be worse, you know," Jane said. "Would you rather be in the same room with Tobias, or with another Hein?" 

   At the mention of the former XO, Neil's face took on the appearance of a man chewing on a wasp. He threw his hands up in a gesture of defeat. "Ugh…okay, okay. You win!" 

   Ryan chuckled. "Captain, when are they gonna' let me out? Any longer and the sorry excuse they have for food around here may just finish me off."

   "Good thing you asked, because before I got here, I was notified that you'd released this afternoon. After that I want you to prepare for our debriefing."

   Neil rolled his eyes. "It never rains, but it pours…What?" 

   The other team members were looking at him with various degrees of irritation.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

   Actually, the meeting didn't go as badly as the tech had feared. At least they had been allowed to stuff themselves to their hearts content at the Goldenthal's luxurious restaurant beforehand. Ryan had seemingly devoured an entire side of beef in one sitting.

   "Jesus, Ryan, you pound that stuff like there's no tomorrow!" Jane said. "Keep it up and you're going to pop!"

   The sergeant waved his steak knife in her direction. "If it's on the government's tab, damn straight I'm chowing down!" He slopped more sauce on his steak and attacked it with the intensity of a starving man.

   "That poor cow…" Neil muttered. "Hey!" 

   Jane had helped herself to his plate while his attention was diverted, and relieved him of a good portion of his food. "Well, excuse me, Neil. You're using your mouth for talking, as usual."

   Gray was quite hungry himself, but he'd been a little disappointed that he hadn't able to reach Aki. However, he tried not to dwell on the issue, thinking instead about the meeting with Tobias and the pending mission afterwards. He was not one to always look forward to a literal audit of every little detail of his actions, from rescuing Dr. Ross from New York's forbidden zone all the way to the phantom crater mission. But orders were orders.

   That was an hour ago, and now the Deep Eyes sat attentively in the boardroom, Neil trying to keep himself from fidgeting. Abreast of him were his teammates; the captain on his right, Ryan sitting a bit too stiffly to his left (either his bandages were too tight, or maybe he was just so full of food that he could barely move), and the Ice Queen herself, aka Jane Proudfoot, at the end. _Yep, she just had to pick the seat furthest from me, naturally,_ Fleming grumped to himself.

   They were all wearing fresh military uniforms, collars starched, the pants creased just so, and their glossy black dress shoes were spotless. Before them, seated behind a long table on a dais, was General Tobias, flanked by Major Patel and Major Schuler.

   "Both of our councils have conferred with each another," Patel was saying. Beneath her smooth brow her piercing eyes were the pale blue of glacial ice, but their bearing was warm as they briefly rested on each squad member.

   Major Schuler now spoke. His dark brown eyes were likewise amicable, but a twist of shiny scar tissue, the result of either some horrific accident or a battle injury, ran like a thin pink worm along his cheekbone, ending up just below his left eye. He cleared his throat.

   "After hearing your reports and reviewing all pertinent data regarding the assistance rendered to Doctors Sid and Ross in the elimination of the alien infestation, it is the decision of both council boards that the Deep Eyes Squadron of New York, led by Captain Gray Alex Edwards, receive the Sapphire Star of Courage." He reached down somewhere beneath the desk and retrieved a small wooden box, which he then passed to the general. All three military members stood and approached the Deep Eyes, who were now on their feet as well.

   Tobias opened the case, and nestled on red velvet within were four gold medals, each fashioned in the shape of a sunburst. A brilliant blue jewel of genuine sapphire was set in the middle of each, and a wide white ribbon unfolded as the general lifted the first one out and slipped it over Gray's head. The captain straightened and General Tobias gave a brief salute. The ceremony was repeated with the other three Deep Eyes, and then the general took a step back, the empty case tucked beneath his arm. 

   "I know that you all are wondering about your mission to New York. In short, the Deep Eyes will accompany another team whose specialty is that of search and rescue. Your familiarity with the city's layout should be a great asset. Captain, here are your orders. Review them thoroughly." He handed a sealed dossier to Gray before turning to face Ryan. 

   "Sergeant Whittaker, due to your recent operation, you are on one weeks' leave as per Dr. Sid's recommendation. I want you to recuperate and get some rest. I see no reason to deploy you back out into the field at this point."

   Ryan seemed to hesitate the merest fraction of a second. Then he nodded. "Understood, General."

   "When do we depart, sir?" Gray asked.

   Tobias allowed a small suggestion of a smile to make itself evident. "You will be outbound in 48 hours. We're not the heartless command staff that you may have been accustomed to dealing with back in New York. We realize that you all have gone through much in the past few days, so you are granted some leave time.

   "Tomorrow morning at oh-nine-hundred you will get acquainted with your fellow teammates and familiarize yourselves with mission-specific gear and strategies. You will lift from the main hanger the following morning at oh-six-hundred sharp. Understood?"

   The Deep Eyes answered in perfect military synch. "Yes, sir!" 

   "Any questions?"

   "No, sir!"

   "Then you are dismissed. We wish you success on your mission."

                                    *                                  *                                  *

   Back in his room a short while later, Gray put away his military dress suit, took a quick shower, changed into a pair of comfortable sweat pants and a t-shirt, and caught some of the local news broadcasts, flipping through the channels restlessly. As he expected, the reporters were crowing about the phantoms' defeat, and at least half of the cities worldwide had already lowered their barriers. The council here, however, had not said when they were going to deactivate Houston's field; the ever-present amber glow illuminated a patch of the carpet, then shrunk and vanished as he closed the blinds. 

   He lay down wearily on the bed, ignoring the remaining ache from his side and pressed his palms against his closed eyelids…so much had happened! It was true that the Deep Eyes had been greatly involved in the recovery of the final two spirits, but Gray had seen Aki almost killed, and he had watched his squad mates die, one by one; he had experienced Aki's dream world and witnessed the fall of New York. And then there was his own sacrifice, which, he had discovered, he hadn't feared as much as he thought. While his mind had mercifully blanked out most of the details, he _could_ dimly recall passing the final spirit wave on to the alien Gaia, and then being surrounded by a virtual sea of alien spirits. However, they bore no malevolence. They were now benign entities, finally having found peace within the Gaia of their homeworld. He remembered nothing more after that until he awoke aboard the Black Boa.

   He glanced at the nightstand. A few pages were poking out from the open folder sitting there. On each of them were descriptions of the other team members' skills and experience, and a thumbnail holo headed each column of text. There were five men and a woman. Reaching over, Gray grabbed the folder and sat up on the bed's edge, mentally skimming through his orders as he perused the files.

   Upon entering New York, they were to split into two groups. Gray, along with Fleming, would lead three individuals, and Commander Dorado and Proudfoot would take the remaining squad. Equipped with the latest detection devices, they would start from the most likely areas that could shelter possible survivors. A perimeter of motion trackers surrounding the city would immediately alert them to anyone, or anything, attempting to leave the area. As for getting the people out, heavy passenger liners were standing by in Montreal, and numerous other commercial and private firms from other cities had chartered their craft to the airlift effort. All had sworn that they could be on-site within hours.

   He closed the file and set it aside, thinking about his own team now. Jane, Neil and Ryan didn't appear to have been negatively affected by their seemingly magical restoration. Although they were all well aware that they had essentially died, it appeared that nobody really wanted to admit it. The team's sergeant was out of action for the time being; Edwards has noted that Ryan had almost protested to the general's orders but had neatly checked himself. Whittaker was a trusted friend whose courage had buoyed the team in times of crisis, but sometimes his loyalty bordered on stubbornness. As for the other two…well, they appeared to be back to their old selves, bickering every other moment. _Mr. Sarcastic and Ms. Short Fuse. What a pair they would make! _Gray almost laughed aloud. And as for Aki…

   Just a few hours ago he had spoken with her, just as she and Dr. Sid were preparing to leave for the council chambers, detailing their spirit wave theory and how it had eliminated the phantoms. There were sure to be plenty of questions, but it should have been well over by now. Gray looked at the desk clock…it was early evening, only nine-fifteen or so, and he pondered if he should try and call her since she was staying just a few blocks away, anyway. After a moment's hesitation he made a decision, and was just reaching for the small handset beside the bed when he heard a soft rap. He cocked his head uncertainly as it came again. Curious but in no hurry, he strode over and opened the door.

   "Aki…?"

   She stood in the hallway, still dressed in her formal attire that she had donned for the presentation. Caught off guard, Gray could say nothing at first. Then he moved aside, shutting the door behind her. 

   "What brings you here?" 

   "The council meeting is concluded. I…was in the neighborhood, and wanted to see how you were doing," she said. Her tone was neutral, but her face began to flush a bit as she realized that her excuse was plainly transparent. She took his hand. "I know, that was pretty lame, huh?" She took a deep breath, then:

   "Gray, I came to see you. I realize now how much I shut you out, throwing everything into my work, and–"

   He held a finger to her lips. "You had good reason…you were living on borrowed time. I can understand the stress you must have been under."

   She took a seat the edge of the bed and he did likewise, facing her. Faint worry lines creased her brow. "Gray, you have no idea! Dealing with pressure from some of the council, trying to prevent General Hein from firing the Zeus Cannon, racing to find those last spirits to finish the wave…and the dreams that came to me every night. And all the while, I could feel the alien presence within me growing stronger, a little bit each day. I was afraid that you would leave me for good once you found out I was infected."

   "Aki, I would have stood by you no matter what. But the phantoms are gone now, thanks to you and Sid. And now that you brought me back, I don't intend to let anything get between us again." He paused, squeezed her hand gently, and went on. He had to tell her about the upcoming mission, and did so, uncertain on how she would take it.

   Aki was understandably not all that thrilled to hear the news, but in the end she concurred. "I had a suspicion that the general would want to stick you right back out in the field." Her eyes were cloudy.

   "There is the possibility of survivors in New York." He now held both of her hands in his. "If you could help them, wouldn't you do so?"

   She reluctantly agreed, nodding, but her eyes would not meet his for a minute. Her voice was a tremulous whisper. "I don't want to loose you again, Gray."

   He cupped her chin and raised her head. "You won't, I swear it." He paused. "Now, there's something else I must know about the Deep Eyes, Aki. Why do you think that just _our _spirits remained behind, when the alien Gaia left?"

   She appeared thoughtful as she came out of her funk. "I've been wondering the same thing. One theory Dr. Sid has is that earth's Gaia is sentient, possessing some sort of awareness. I know it may sound strange, but think about it. The Deep Eyes assisted me in recovering those final spirits critical to the wave's completion. Maybe, just maybe, our Gaia somehow realized this, and prevented your life-force energy from leaving with the rest of the phantoms. The ovo-pack taken from your rifle was the nearest 'reservoir' suitable enough to hold you, and Gaia placed you there."

   "It never occurred to me in that manner. The salvation of our souls…a gift from Gaia." He looked at her full on, not saying anything more. Aki was silent for a long moment before speaking again.

   "Gray?"

   "Yes?"

   "Do you love me?" she asked simply.

   He pulled her closer. "You know that I love you, Aki." He bent his face down to hers, and their lips met in a long kiss. Unlike the last time, there was no sense of urgency, and after another minute Aki drew away from him slightly. 

   "Well, captain?"

   Puzzled, he looked at her. "Well, what?"

   She clicked her tongue in annoyanceand cocked her hands on her hips. "Are you going to kill the lights, or do I have to do everything around here?" 

   Gray was momentarily speechless as Aki stood and began to undress. "Well…yeah. Sure. But promise me one thing," he said, groping for the room's master light switch. The overheads cut out, leaving only the small nightstand lamp burning low and she turned to face him. "What's that?" He eyes were provocatively lowered and she was gloriously nude.

   Gray felt his pulse pick up. "Go easy on me this time."

   Pushing him flat on his back, Aki grinned wickedly.

   It was the morning of the second day, and the Black Boa was just over an hour out from Houston. Under Aki's watchful eye the ship had been refueled, minor damage repaired, and the Gaia research lab that she once carried on her underside had been swapped out with a capacious cargo module that also held a pair of jeeps. Aki's sleep chamber, aft of the cockpit, had long since been refitted. Both of the teams resided there now, and up in the cockpit, Fleming was consulting their route on his holographic display. They had already left the atmosphere behind and were on the edge of space, nearing the apogee of a brief sub-orbital flight before the short re-entry. 

   Earlier, as they had assembled in the hanger, Fleming, in a very Neil-like moment, had suggested that the two teams be designated as "Spider" and "Wolf" squads. An awkward silence had followed his suggestion, during which his ears had turned beet red.

   "What the _hell?_ Oh, sorry. It's obviously from the 'I thought it was a good idea at the time' department." 

   Jane's deadpan comment had caused everyone within earshot to roar in laughter, including Ryan, who had been present to see them off, and the tech's face began to match the shade of his ears. The funny thing, though, was that the names had stuck and for the rest of the morning Fleming had strutted around with his pigeon chest puffed out.

   Eyes momentarily resting on each of the new members, Gray sat on the port side and committed the faces and names of the others to memory. Commander James Dorado was in charge of Loden, Bowman and Proudfoot. Those under Edwards's command were Greenwood–who was also a med tech–Giovanni, Hughes, and Fleming. The initial meeting had gone well, both teams getting along with one another, and after the formal introductions were out of the way, they had gotten down to the business of the mission objectives. 

   But the captain had thought it odd that there were at first only nine people total, unusual since this would result in an unequal split, so should he really have been at all surprised when the tenth and final person reported for duty? She appeared fairly comfortable with the lighter Type I version of Deep Eyes armor she wore on her smaller frame. He kept sneaking surreptitious glances at the young woman sitting across from him, but even though she would be serving with the other squad Gray was glad that she was here.

   Aki caught his glance and allowed herself to return the faintest of smiles. She had used simple reasoning to convince the brass that she should be on this mission. There were two teams, true, but only one med tech. If there were survivors that required medical attention (and odds are there certainly were), how would the group that lacked such a specialist respond? General Tobias had concurred, and so Ross was now part of Dorado's team. Greenwood had been in awe to find himself in the presence of "the" Dr. Aki Ross, and her cheeks had glowed, for she had not expected to be idolized in such short time.

   "Captain?"                                                                                                                                                      

   "Yes, Neil?"

   "I just received a transmission from the placer teams," the ship's pilot said over the cabin's intercom. "All perimeter sensors have been activated, and the teams are on their way back."

   Gray's brown eyes met Dorado's chestnut ones. He nodded, letting the commander take over; his inquiry was crisp and businesslike. "Are there life signs, Mr. Fleming?"   

   "Affirmative, sir. Sensors covering sectors twelve through twenty-six and thirty-two through forty have already detected movement." Flippant and sarcastic though he could be, Fleming recognized authority and carried himself professionally when necessary. For that, Edwards was grateful. 

   "Sounds like they're using the city's sub-levels as shelters." Dorado directed his statement to his people in general, but was looking at Edwards. Like the Deep Eyes, his squad was outfitted with standard USMF Type II combat armor, but their helmets' scanning systems were configured for human body heat signatures, not phantom detection. They were armed with standard rifles and military-regulation 9mm pistols; they also carried several canisters of a potent sleep gas. Giovanni had explained the need for this last. 

   "For any unruly citizens," she had said dryly, and Proudfoot herself had grinned.

   The Deep Eyes still carried their nocturne rifles, and were under orders to continue to do so until further notice. Aki herself had been issued a medium-duty nocturne, complete with bio-flares.

   Even with the Boa's speed, there was still well over another hour's flight time. Bowman held out a deck of playing cards in a large palm, his head tilted inquiringly towards Gray. He was a huge man, larger than Whittaker. His cropped hair was dark blond, his eyes triangular chips of cats-eye green. Edwards had never heard him speak, and wondered if he was mute. 

   "Thanks, but I'll pass this time," Gray said. "Catch you next game."

   Bowman shrugged and turned to Giovanni, who accepted the pack with a raised eyebrow. A tall woman with expressive blue eyes, she favored her dark blonde hair cut quite short, and this gave her even more of a tomboyish appearance than Proudfoot. 

   "You ready to lose again, Bob?" she asked around the toothpick clenched between her teeth. Both of them were leaned over a cargo crate, the slightly magnetic cards adhering to the metal surface as she expertly dealt out a pair of neat hands. "Ya' just never learn, huh?"

   As the two began their game, Greenwood checked his hand-held scanner and addressed Edwards. "How many survivors do you think we'll find, Captain?" 

   Gray leaned back in his seat, aware that many pairs of eyes were on him, Aki's steady gaze included.

   "The last census put the population at just over four million. You saw the data that the general provided…just over half that number managed to evacuate. Forty-two percent were killed by phantoms. The remaining three percent is what we're tasked to find…by my rough estimates that's something like at least 100,000 people that we have to locate." 

   "That's almost a round-the-clock airlift operation," Dorado said. 

   Loden spoke up as his dark eyes looked towards one of the cabin's small viewports. "Nah, with all those transports ready it should be a piece of cake." Then he cast a droll gaze at Bowman, whose face was contorted into the most horrid of grimaces as Giovanni tossed down her winning hand. "What say you, Silent Bob?" 

   A snort and a glare was the only reply.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

   "Damn, but this is giving me the creeps!" Proudfoot muttered nervously. She had never really gotten used to the bodies that lay everywhere as her squad tracked down the last of the survivors. 

   Commander Dorado shot her a stern glance, and she clammed up. But even he couldn't help but peer around uneasily. True, he was experienced in search and rescue operations, but those missions could have never prepared him for this. He had never imagined the effects of such a massacre, and his mind went back to the report that he filed in his personal log just this morning:

   "Between the time of the fall of Barrier City Number 42, also known as New York Barrier City, and the period that my team and the deep Eyes arrived, more people have managed to leave this place. There is evidence of the departure of all sorts of transports–private luxury cars, buses, and tramlines that terminate at the edge of the city. Lots flyer craft are gone, too. On the flip side are those who didn't make it. We're always coming up on the wreckage of crashed ships and escape pods. It's the belief of Dr. Ross that these have fallen victim to the flying phantoms.

   Adjacent states have reported receiving sporadic flocks of bedraggled survivors. As soon as this was known every city involved was ordered to set up a quarantine area for phantom infestation scanning. So far, so good, because we sure as hell don't need any more panic now…Jesus God…three days of scouring this city! Our speculations were correct–the surviving populace had concealed themselves below the primary habitation levels, seeking those areas where parts of the barrier were still operational. 

   Both Dr. Greenwood and Dr. Ross have been knocking themselves out, having managed to rally some teams of volunteers, and with their aid have performed scans for any phantom particle detection–all results have been negative. These people have been either very, very lucky, or the infected ones are, for lack of a better word, deceased. The impromptu teams have also attended to those with medical needs (note to self–Dr. Ross has carried herself in a most professional manner. She seems to be especially skilled at consoling the younger patients and children). There are plenty of lacerations, a few broken bones and a couple of serious wounds that have become infected. Frayed nerves are everywhere…the shock of the aliens' assault has been overbearing. The only way that we can help these individuals for now is with a sedative, at least until they're out of here and their shattered psyches can be pieced back together. 

   The counseling centers are going to have their hands full for a while.

   There is a subtle aura of impassiveness underlying the gratitude that we first encountered, and I've seen it before-it's the dull apathy of the shell-shock victim, the expressionless gaze of a person that has lived through hell and seen far too much. It doesn't help that the dead are sprawled out in the streets, within buildings, at the transport stations and the air terminals. I can't say why they haven't begun to decay already, hell, I'm no med tech. But personally, I don't want to know, for the faces of these unfortunate ones are frozen in various expressions…surprise, shock and anger at having their very souls forcibly ripped from them. But by far the most common expression is that of stark and utter fear."

   The same time that the commander was recollecting his thoughts, Aki was instructing her remote to execute a final sweep of the immediate vicinity before the team moved on. Beneath her one-piece bodysuit she was sweating despite the mild NY winter temperatures; her armor, although lightweight, was chafing her in embarrassing areas, but she concentrated on the display before her eyes. 

   The drones were no larger than the proverbial breadbox. Their compact ducted-fan engines were powered by tiny ovo-packs, and they were equipped with video and audio capabilities; both squads had deployed sixty of the machines citywide. Carving the cityscape up into search grids and flitting in and about the buildings, the remotes were able to probe large areas much faster than any human, and could provide real-time com-links between the survivors and rescuers. They were autonomous, but Aki preferred to control this one herself, sending it into places that might possibly have provided safe harbor from the phantom attacks. 

   Now, what the remote 'saw' was shown in an upper corner of her helmet's eyepiece. She could make out dark windows and doorways sailing by as she dispatched the flying machine towards a new destination, a nearby shopping complex. Its approach slowed and it rose, seeking an egress, finally finding a broken panel in a rooftop skylight and carefully lowering itself into the dim building. Here and there, some advertising signs and store display lights still burned, but most of the electricity had gone out when the majority of the city's power-grid went belly up along with the massive barrier generators. 

   Aki ignored the occasional body that lay here and there, absorbed instead in the tiny holographic screen as the airborne probe flew down the mall's central open space. Suddenly an acquisition signal chirped and she stopped in mid-step, holding up a hand. 

   "Commander! I have something here!" 

   The rest of her teammates rushed over to where she had paused on the sidewalk outside an abandoned posh café. 

   "Bearing?" Commander Dorado asked, and Aki's upraised palm closed into a fist, a single finger remaining to describe an arc that moved over to her right as she pointed. She transmitted the image to the others; a small cluster of blue dots huddled in a cramped storage space at the back of a store.   

   "To the southwest," she replied. "Looks like a group of twelve, on the third floor of a shopping center about half a kilometer from here."

   They all looked in the direction she had indicated. Further down the street, the business district's tall office buildings petered out as the broad avenue ended in a 'T'-type intersection. According to the map plotted out by the drone, the street's west end terminated in a huge parking lot that lay before a large multi-level structure.

   The commander opened a channel to the Gray. "Captain Edwards, this is Dorado. Do you read?"

   The reply came back almost immediately. "Gray here, commander. Go ahead."

   "Dr. Ross has located a group near the edge of our sector, within a shopping center. We're on our way there now."

   "Acknowledged. I have good news here as well. You've found the last survivors in the city. Once they're safely aboard the last transport out, we'll pack up and rendezvous with you_._" 

    Someone, Giovanni from the sound of it, gave a cheerful whoop in the background, and beneath their helmets, everyone grinned and breathed sighs of relief.

   "Acknowledged, captain. Dorado out." He clicked off and turned to the others. 

   "Well? What are you waiting for? Aki, lead on, please. The rest of you, fall in and move out!" 

                                    *                                  *                                  *

   Once at the building's main entrance, Proudfoot took point and entered the ground floor, comfortably hefting her nocturne as the twin blue lenses of her helmet scanned the scene ahead of them. Then she gave an all clear to Dorado, who spoke a quiet order. 

   "Alright people, we got a green light. Let's round up these folks and head home."

   Beside him, Aki quickly determined the fastest route as a schematic of the building, transmitted from her remote, flickered on her display. "The nearest stairwell will take us right to them. Make a left once you're on the top level." 

   As they mounted the stairs, Aki spoke, and this time her voice emerged from the drone's speaker grille. "Attention, to those inside. If you can hear me, we're one floor down from you. Is anyone injured?"

   A worrisome silence followed, and then the team heard a voice in their headsets as a male voice answered. 

   "Thank God you're here, whoever you are! Nothing serious…one person has a bad bruise, the rest of us are just rattled." There was a pause. "Are we finally safe?"

   "Yes, hold on! We'll be there in a minute." The squad reached the third level and trotted down the empty walkway. Within the store the drone had 'parked' itself, extending it tripodal landing legs and squatting on a countertop beside the smashed case of a hunting knife display. Very soon after that Spider Squad arrived.

   "Hmm…a sporting goods store," Loden commented as the team pushed the door open and entered. A few dim emergency lights illuminated the interior, and some items were scattered about on the floor, but there were no bodies here. 

   There was movement towards the back of the store, and a figure detached itself from the gloom and cautiously approached them. It resolved itself into a lanky store clerk, and his shoulders sagged with relief as he saw that those before him were, indeed, quite human; the silver helmet of the leader had opened to reveal a cordial face, his eyes expressing concern, and now held out a gauntlet-covered hand.

    "Commander James Dorado, leading this special-ops group on a search-and-rescue mission."

   "I'm Steve Anderson," the other man said, taking his hand in a grateful clasp and indicated the other people who were peering through the doorway behind him. "We've been holed up in here ever since the attacks."  

   Aki released the catches on her helmet, sliding it off and placing it aside. "Don't worry. We're here to help…where is the injured person?" She had just slipped her small med-kit's strap off her shoulder when Jane, who had a soldier's habit of continuously casting her gaze around, suddenly tensed and shouted a warning.

   Out of the corner of her eye, Aki caught sudden motion from behind a rack of camping gear, and saw a dark shape rushing in from the side, heading straight for her. There was no time for conscious thought; she instinctively fell back on her combat training and assumed the _Jodan_ stance, turning to face her foe.

   Evidently this gave her assailant food for thought because he hesitated a split-second. Then he pressed his attack and attempted a nasty sidearm slash. The store's spotty interior lighting reflected along the serrated blade of the sizeable hunting knife as it flashed out in a lethal sweep.

   Her movements flowed into one another and she grasped the knife hand in a _Katatetori Kokyunage _variation****and led him past and around her in a semi-circle, then smoothly reversing the motion and followed through, bringing the weapon-bearing hand back around. Before anyone could blink, it was over, and her attacker was face down on the floor with arm twisted up behind him. Yet still he writhed, bellowing obscenities until Aki, armored knee on his back, wound his wrist a few more millimeters. The knife clattered onto the floor and Jane kicked it aside. The entire episode had taken no more than six seconds. 

   There was the metallic _click-clack _as the rest of the squad pointed their weapons point-blank at the man who lay prone, not looking at all comfortable. Aki, on the other hand, was not even breathing hard.

   Dorado placed a hand on Aki's shoulder. "Stand down, doctor. Robert, get this clown on his feet." 

   Spookily swift and silent for a person of his intimidating stature, Bowman straddled the stranger, reached down and effortlessly hauled him up, keeping the hand twisted behind him. Now that everyone could see him clearly, it was apparent that the guy had gone off the deep end.

   Proudfoot pushed her helmet right up to his face. "What's your problem?" she snarled, her voice harsh and metallic thorough the speaker. She relaxed her itchy trigger finger with an effort. Although the ammo of her nocturne was lethal to phantoms, at close range its bio-etheric zero-point energy could still seriously injure a human.

   The commander interposed himself between them and let his narrowed gaze meet the crazed eyes of the assailant. The man was of average height, his face smudged, and his short brown hair was wild. Beneath narrow brows his dark eyes were full of fury; they dismissed Dorado with a cursory glance and glared at Aki with a strange mixture of loathing and fear.

   "You!" he hissed. His voice was dangerously low. "It's all _your_ fault!" He struggled mightily against Bowman's muscular hold. 

   Nonplussed, Aki frowned. "What are you talking about?" she asked, boldly returning his gaze without flinching. Now everyone, survivors and their rescuers alike, had gathered around. A bitter laugh followed her question. Then: 

   "Don't act all innocent. You called to them, didn't you? Oh, I know about you and your precious phantoms, Dr. Ross. The general was right…you're one of them…you enlisted their aid to destroy mankind and help take over the planet! Hein was a great leader, and he should have shut you down long ago!" His voice had risen almost to a shout, and his upper lip was curled in a sneer. This man, then, was one of the 307th's, the USMF soldiers employed in the highest ranks of General Hein's forces and second only to the Deep Eyes.

   Loden's dark blue eyes were stormy. "I think you have is ass-backwards, buddy. If anything, she helped destroy the phantoms. I guess you didn't see the surveillance footage from the generator control center, huh? You can thank your general for the barrier's shutdown! He let them in!"

   A small buzz ran through the surviving citizens. They hadn't a clue as to how their protective shield had inexplicably failed, but now that the truth was out, several angry exclamations erupted.

   "What's your name and rank, soldier?" Dorado snapped, voice grim, but the man turned his head away. The commander grasped his chin and forced him to look at him. "Answer!"

   "Corporal Reid, _sir." _The last word was bitten off almost contemptuously.

   The commander nodded. "I see. Bowman, see to it that our 'friend' here has a comfortable seat while I speak with Mr. Anderson. Dr. Ross…that was a very nice handling of the situation. You never told us of your combat arts proficiency."

   One corner of Aki's mouth hitched up wryly. "No one ever asked. When I lost my parents in the San Francisco attack, I thought it best that I should have some sort of self-defensive training, so I took up aikido." 

   "Impressive." 

   This one word came from the last person she had expected a compliment from. She looked over her shoulder and saw Bowman regarding her with admiration. He gave her a wink and then his face returned to its previous stony impassiveness as he stood guard over the silently fuming soldier.

   "Mr. Anderson, a moment of your time please?"

   Steve was assisting Aki as she began to tend to a young woman whose forearm had suffered a nasty bruise. He put the med-kit down and rose to his feet, self-consciously brushing his hands on his pants. "Sir?"

   "The corporal…was he with you during the phantom attack?" 

   Looking over to where Bowman and now Proudfoot stood at attention, he could see the subject of the commander's question. The soldier was now sitting in a chair, both hands secured behind him with a thick nylon zip-tie. He was staring at Aki, betraying not a whit of emotion.

   "Uh, no, not at first, anyway…he showed up very soon afterwards. We thought he was a civilian–"

   "I was off-duty," the seated man spat.

   "During a citywide alert? Oh, please. What are we going to do with him, sir?" Proudfoot inquired. 

   "He's coming back with us." Dorado flicked his gaze from her to Reid and back again. "I'm certain that our superiors would like to question him personally. Especially if he was involved with the barrier deactivation." 

   "If you only saw what _I _did, you all wouldn't be so smug about your 'victory' over the phantoms."      

   The commander rounded on him, eyes flashing. "You know, my patience with you is growing rather short. There are people here who don't need to hear your incessant ranting."

   "Ranting? Who's ranting?" He affected an air of innocence, and then for the first time since his attempt on Aki's life, a sparkle of sanity crept into his eyes. "I'm just a messenger, here to tell you something."

   "Which is? Spit it out!"

   "The phantoms aren't gone."

   The chambers of Aki's heart filled with ice. "What?"

   "Jesus, you guys deaf or something?  I said they're still here. I knew that would get your attention, huh?" He barked laughter as everyone stared at him. 

   Jane cracked open her helmet, incredulous, and fixed her gunslinger's eyes on him. Her voice was a dangerous growl from the back of her throat. "That's bullshit." 

   Dorado made a hasty silencing gesture. "What have you seen?"

   His eyes twinkled in jolly good merriment. "A dead phantom. I touched it."

   "Impossible!" Aki snapped. This news had put her on edge, and it was a feeling that she most definitely didn't care for. "Physical contact with a phantom results in either infection or outright death."

   Reid's eyes gaze grew flat again, and he looked at her as one might look at a child, and snorted. "Hmph, shows how much you know! The thing was buried beneath a pile of rubble. Ifelt one of its tentacles…and you don't see _me_ dying, now do you, you silly woman? Where there's a dead one, I'm sure that there are others still alive, and pissed-off now that I think about it."

   Aki turned away, quelling the impulse to slap the haughty smirk right off of his face. She closed her eyes and marshaled her thoughts as her pulse doubled its tempo. _No! He's lying! _She said to herself, and her fists clenched. _But what if what he's saying is true? Were all of my efforts, and those of Dr. Sid and the Deep Eyes, for nothing? Will this nightmaren ever end?_

   She opened her eyes again, and her voice was terribly cold. "Take us there, now. I want to see for myself."

   Looking instead out of the storefront's window, the soldier said nothing. He didn't see Dorado give the slightest incline of his head to Bowman, who yanked the captive to his feet, disregarding his protests.

   "Bowman, take these citizens to the jeep and get back to Captain Edwards. Tell him…that we have one final detail to attend to. I'll file a detailed report later." Dorado snapped his helmet shut, but continued to speak as he addressed the remainder of the Spider squad, pointedly ignoring Reid.

   "The rest of you, we're going to take the corporal for a little stroll. Before we leave this city for good, I want to find out just what has Mr. Reid so spooked."

                                    *                                  *                                  *

   The walk took almost an hour, and a small breeze had sprung up, penetrating the vast enclosing skeletal structure of the barrier, and stirring loose papers in the abandoned streets. Far above them, the mid-winter sun shone strong but chill, no longer having to penetrate the powerful bio-etheric barrier field. The small group stuck to the walkways, grimly marching on towards the east. Up front was the corporal, hands still bound; to his left and slightly behind him was Dorado, and on the opposite side was Proudfoot. Her rifle was stowed in its holder beside her pack, but her handgun never wavered from Reid's back. 

   Just behind her was Aki, who was wrapped in uncertainty and apprehension. She knew that the corporal was not in his right mind, yet she had to see for herself what he spoke of, and either confirm or renounce it. Claiming to have seen such a thing, much less touch it, was far too serious to be dismissed as a mere joke and she prayed he was mistaken, for if the phantoms had indeed not been totally eliminated, she did not know what the next step would be.

   They all paused at the top of an incline. Before them the street continued on into a small residential area. 

   "There, in that building." Hands still bound, he cocked his head in the direction of a nearby cluster of living quarters on the district's outskirts. They could see that a wall of one residence had collapsed from some unknown cause, and it was towards this one that the soldier took them. 

   Dorado examined the area with a cautious eye, wary of any traps. If this soldier was loose, who knew how many others were about, and were possibly watching them at this very moment? Then an idea came to him.

   "Dr. Ross? How's the power level on your remote?" 

   Aki quickly queried her microprocessor and checked the results in her display. "Still in the green, sir."

   "Good. I want you to send it on ahead to scout out the area before we continue."

   She nodded in agreement. The remote was secured in a clip on her back; she reached over her shoulder to release its lock pin, and after a slight tug the machine was free. Flipping a switch, she set it before her and powered up the control panel on her wrist, taking a step back as the probe hummed loudly and rose, gaining altitude as its sensor eye turned towards its destination. It closed in on the building and skillfully maneuvered around the two-story residence, scanning the structure.

   "What a waste of time…"

   "Shut up!" Proudfoot hissed, and jabbed Reid with her gun. They waited for the device to reappear as it completed its circuit around the building. Then it arrowed back, once more deploying its landing supports and touching down in front of its operator, who studied the results on her heads-up display. There were no telltale energy signatures, blue or otherwise. 

   "Looks like we're the only ones here, commander. It's safe to proceed."

   As Aki gathered up her gear, the impassive mask of Dorado's helmet swung around, its eye lenses focusing on the ex-307th soldier, and he gestured towards the building. "Mr. Reid, if you would be so kind?"

   The corporal shrugged and complied, and the rest of them trailed closely behind. They all went around to the back of the complex, crossing an empty yard and walking up to the large hole that opened onto the ground floor and exposed a lower level. Even though the day outside was bright, the interior remained shrouded in deep shadow. They took a small stairway to a basement and approached a huge pile of rubble. Several beams of light played across the debris that lay everywhere, as the armored individuals ran their spotlights around the small space. 

   "What happened here?" Jane asked. She had stowed her handgun, for a quick escape would be difficult given the treacherous surface they now stood on. "Looks like something exploded."

   For the first time, Reid's voice betrayed some emotion. "Beats me. During the phantom's attack, it was apparent that General Hein had deserted his own troops; nobody could reach him…after he the barrier breach in sector 31, he left the 307th's to fend for themselves. I hid down here. The place was already damaged, and so I thought I was safe, that the aliens would pay it no heed. Apparently one of them did." He turned towards a far corner, and as the squad directed their lights to where he indicated they could see that the debris rose slightly higher there. They picked their way up the mound, and at the top Reid stopped them with a single word.

   "Here."

   The lights centered on the place that the corporal pointed out, and a serpentine shape became recognizable beneath a film of dust. Aki opened her helmet and gasped, for what she was looking at appeared to be part of the grayish, segmented tentacle of a humanoid phantom.

   Slowly, she knelt by the exposed portion, which was about a meter long and almost the diameter of her arm. It arced up smoothly, both ends buried out of sight. As her initial shock faded, she noticed that part of it appeared scuffed, as if indeed someone had prodded at it. She was loath to touch it herself and looked around for something to use. 

   Meanwhile, the corporal was almost prancing in glee. "See?" he gloated. "I told you! The aliens are still here, guys! All that 'Gaia' crap, my ass!"

   Proudfoot set her teeth on edge. "Commander," she gritted, barely keeping her voice under control, "with your permission I'd like to silence the corporal for awhile."

   Beneath his helmet, Dorado's eyebrows shot up. "Granted, as long as it doesn't involve anything sadistic."

   Jane's answer was slightly sarcastic, and sounded eerily like one of Neil's one-liners. "Who, me? If I don't exercise enough restraint the creep may like it." Reaching into her accessory belt she withdrew a small cylindrical object. It was silvery in color, and she pulled off a glove to pick at its smooth surface with the edge of her fingernail. Freeing one end, she stripped off a good length and slapped it firmly over his mouth. 

   "There, now. Problem solved," she said, voice honeyed with cynicism. She noticed the odd looks of her companions as she put the tape roll away and slipped her glove back on. "Old military field trick. Hey, duct tape holds the world together, didn't you know that?"

   Smiling a little in spite of herself, Aki returned to inspecting the object in question. She knew that one end grew from the phantom's right arm, and the other tapered to a limber whip-like tip. In her dreams, the aliens had wielded some sort of projectile weapon on that side, but as spirits _(ghosts, _she reminded herself), these guns were notably absent. Not that it made a difference; the tendrils were just as lethal killing a person as any weapon. And somewhere under the spot she was crouching lay a dead _corporeal_ alien! She stood and rubbed her forehead, a gesture she involuntarily did when she was in deep thought. 

   "Well, doctor? What do you think? Looks like something that could be prime research material?"

   "I don't know…this brings up so many more questions, commander." Aki's hand now cupped her chin. "I for one would like to know if the physical aliens existed along with the ethereal-type phantoms. If so, then why didn't we see any before? A physical Meta couldn't be that hard to miss!"

   "Maybe they were in another location altogether, in a nest of their own?" Proudfoot volunteered. 

   "Plausible," the scientist mused. Then she sighed deeply. "If so, then all of our present phantom detection procedures would have to be upgraded. We'd have to scour every possible hiding place for the new nests."

   As she continued to brood, Loden idly examined the surroundings. His helmet spotlight lit upon random objects: a storage cabinet, some miscellaneous containers, a couple of power tools, and by God, what looked like an antique desktop computer! 

   His interest aroused, he descended the debris pile in order to take a closer look, and the next minute almost fell on his face as he stumbled over something on the dark debris-strewn floor. Cursing silently, he looked down, and his light revealed out some sections of conduit. Whatever had gone off in here had blown the stuff everywhere, it seemed. He kicked at it and continued over to the old computer, which was sitting on a shelf. He was reaching for it when a thought crept into his mind, like a small animal shyly peeking out of its den. Eyebrows drawing together, he frowned to himself, slowly turned and retraced his steps to where his feet had tangled, and bent closer to focus his light. Over his headset he heard Aki and the commander still discussing the ramifications of their discovery. He relegated their chatter to mere background noise as he stared at the thing that lay before him, and then suddenly burst into laughter.

   Aki was just about to raise Gray on the command channel when Loden's hearty chortling broke out on everyone's suit radios. Proudfoot and Dorado approached him as he sauntered back towards Aki. Using one hand he opened his helmet, while he kept the other behind his back.

   Dorado, perplexed, presented the manner of a person who is short on tolerance. "Okay, mister comedian…what's so funny?"

   Loden regained his composure. "Sorry commander. Dr. Ross, here's another piece of your 'phantom'!" His hidden hand came around and held out a length of flexible hose, which for all intents and purposes was identical in size and coloration to the 'tentacle' Reid had found. He handed it over to Aki, and as understanding slowly dawned on her face, he fell victim to more laughter. 

   An almost profound sense of relief swept over her. She displayed the piece of limp wiring hose to the others; Corporal Reid's eyes widened over his improvised gag. Aki gave the thing to the commander and walked over to the buried 'phantom', gravel crunching beneath a knee as she knelt once more and began to dig. Very soon she had exposed one end of the tubing, and shortly thereafter the other end emerged in a small cloud of dust as she tugged it free. Torn wiring and optical fibers dangled from both ends, and she tossed it towards Reid, where it landed at his feet with a small thump. 

   "I sincerely hope that you _thought _this was a phantom, corporal." Her voice was drained. The other man's shoulders lifted in an ambiguous shrug.

   Expelling his breath in a soft sigh, Dorado used the tip of his boot to nudge the piece of hardware that Aki had unearthed. From what he knew of the phantoms through eyewitness accounts and video footage, he could understand how someone may easily have been mistaken. But for a person as unhinged as Reid, he was surprised that the corporal didn't see an alien around every corner. He excused himself and stepped away from the others, and spoke into his helmet's communicator.

   "Captain Edwards, Dorado here. We're done with our investigation, and request rendezvous at present transmission coordinates, over."

   Gray's voice replied after a split-second of static. "I was wondering when we were going to hear from you…Greenwood has already scanned Bowman's passengers. They're clean and they're boarding their transport as I speak. What did you find?"

   Dorado tracked Aki from the corner of his eye, then bounced the section of flexible piping in his hand. "I think I'll let Dr. Ross do the explaining. Oh, and we do have one more person to bring back with us–"

   "So Mr. Bowman said."

   "He actually spoke to you? Captain, you've have been treated to something as rare as a meteor shower."

   The response held a note of wit. "Commander, I think we have had enough of meteors to last us all the rest of our lives. Stand by; Fleming is bringing the _Boa_ over. Gray out."                       

                                    *                                  *                                  *

      As Neil powered up the _Black Boa_'s engines and the shuttle lifted into the late afternoon sky for the last time, Aki sat looking out of the side window at the receding skyline below. Above the highest buildings, they passed between a pair of barrier emitters and, free once again, began the long flight back to Houston. 

   Nobody said much. Fatigue born of three days' hard work, and the sight of the victims, both the living and the dead, had affected them all in various ways. Those that did speak kept their low-voiced conversations to a minimum. Hands bound with a set of alloy security cuffs now, Corporal Reid was dozing in his seat, having been administered a mild sedative; across from him Bowman, taciturn as usual, sat with his back to the wall and kept a watchful eye on him. Near the front of the cabin Dorado and Edwards were discussing the mission, the former sipping on coffee from the ship's galley stores. 

   "So…what's on your mind?" 

   Startled out of her private thoughts, Aki looked over. Jane had taken the vacant seat beside hers, and was fixing her with a steady penetrating gaze. 

   "The city," she replied, her attention returning to the vista outside. "All of those who perished because of one man. I wonder what's going to become of it?"

   Proudfoot tugged off her gauntleted gloves as she spoke. "Don't be surprised if the council decides to rebuild it. New York would be too expensive to simply abandon like Tucson."

   "Typical. Politics at work," Aki sniffed. She removed her own gloves and let them fall to the floor. "I suppose that some in the council are hoping that this will all blow over. But I doubt if the people will forget that easily, Jane. If at all." The floor leveled off and slight vibrations shuddered through her seat frame as the _Boa_ ran through some minor turbulence; the familiar pulses of the engines began to lull her into a somewhat restful state, although she found it odd to be able to relax while her ship was in the hands of another pilot. 

   Gradually, the sky outside darkened from pale blue to indigo, shading to a velvety star-sprinkled black as Fleming guided the _Black Boa _into a low orbital path. Proudfoot found herself gazing out of the viewport as she slipped into what an old HMA roommate had described the "hundred-foot stare in a ten-foot room" look. 

   "He's a good pilot," Jane murmured, almost to herself.

   "Who?" 

   "Neil."

   "You like him, don't you?" 

   Aki's candor brought Proudfoot out of her semi-trance, and her eyes snapped fully open. "Wha–?" But there was the barest hint, just a trace, of a smile on her lips. 

   "Well, he _is _a pest, but…just before he was killed by that phantom, I–I guess that I was beginning to develop some feelings for him." She looked nervously past Aki's shoulder, and whispered, "You're not going to tell him, are you?"

   Aki allowed a heartbeat to pass before she answered. "No, you are. If I were you, I'd him know how you feel. He's up in the cockpit by himself, maybe he could use some company for a while. I used to get bored flying this thing alone."  

   Haltingly at first, Proudfoot stood and half-walked, half-floated towards the cabin door. She glanced back once and received an encouraging nod. Jane resolutely squared her shoulders and went to join Neil. 

   As she vanished up the main passageway and the _Boa _continued on towards Houston, Aki's mind abruptly conjured up an unpleasant thought–what if Corporal Reid had been correct? What if, somewhere on the convalescing planet below that humanity called home, there existed a race of alien creatures that even now were hidden, lying dormant, and simply biding their time? A cold shiver shook her as the ugly implications ran rampant, but then her rational side took control, and chided her for even entertaining such foolish notions. The human race was resilient–Dr. Sid had already been appointed head of the planetary recovery effort, coordinating with other such groups across the globe, all of them responsible for the replenishing of the earth's flora and fauna and bringing life back to the battered world. 

   Confident that she would see the comeback of civilization, Aki Ross rested her head against the seat's padding and closed her eyes, finally able to sleep in peace.

To be concluded…


	6. Chapter Six: World's Beginning Pt 1

**Author's note:** Hello folks, I'm bAAAaaaaack! I know, I know, I'm such a slacker! (Hangs head in shame)…Jane would give me a right good smacking. But since I got my hands on the FF:TSW DVD I acquired a wealth of background info on the characters (anyone know what Hein's _real _height was? Lol!)  Now, this final chapter is another long one, so I split it in half. Enjoy it while I tweak the second part. I attempted to reach some sense of closure here, but the characters better enjoy the little vacation time they have because they'll be needing every bit of rest they can get, before life throws them all a curve. But that's a story for another time…

Cookies for those who review, being forced to streak naked through the streets of Houston on New Year's Eve will be imposed on those who don't!

Oh, and an infamous leather outfit makes an appearance.

Disclaimer: most of the characters contained herein are property of Square Pictures…sucks, huh? =8 - /

Chapter Six: World's Beginning

December 31, 2065

   Neil irritably rapped on the door again. He was not a happy camper. "Jane, will you hurry up? We're gonna' be late!" Exasperated, he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall opposite the doorway, fuming. Why in God's name were women so slow? He glanced at Ryan, who stood half-smirking. He was regarding the entire scene with obvious amusement. 

   The tech's narrow face creased into a frown. "And what's so funny?"

   "Relax, Neil, we still have time, and the place is not going to run out of drinks. You're not the only one waiting for them to finish primping. You know how the ladies are, right?"

   "Well, she should be more considerate. Especially after all that trouble I went through to get something nice for her."

   "Really? What was her Christmas gift?"

   Neil's scowl flipped into a small smile. "A music box. I made it myself. You open the lid and it plays a Christmas scene hologram."

   Ryan was impressed. It wasn't often that Fleming invested his time in something that utilized his capable skills; it was even rarer that he would give it away for free. 

   "And what did you get?"

   The reply contained a shade of sardonic wit. "A lump of coal." 

   As Whittaker succeeded in keeping a straight face, his companion switched tracks, another trait he liked to employ to keep people off balance.

   "Hey, you think I used too much gel?" he asked, carefully feeling his close-cut hair. "Maybe I have enough time to go wash it out right quick."

   "Neil…" the sergeant rumbled warningly.

   "I heard that too much and it ends up all flaky–"

   "Neil–"

   "You know, if the store's still open, I could try a different brand."

   _"Neil!" _

"What?"

   "Please…will you just chill out? There's nothing wrong with your hair, and after all, if Jane agreed to be your date for the evening, then that's a start, right?"

   Fleming gave an unconvinced snort and fussed with the sleeve of his sport coat. A casual observer would have quickly reached the conclusion that both of them were formally dressed-up for a special occasion, which, as a matter of fact, was precisely the case. It was New Year's Eve, and the entire city was caught up in the 'spirit', a very apt term; not only was the Phantom War finally over, but tonight marked the lowering of Houston's barrier. Councilor Kehyeyan was to lead the ceremony, personally deactivating the shield generators at the stroke of midnight. Anticipation had been building ever since word had spread of the great victory, and the subsequent rescue of New York's remaining survivors. Since that day city barriers worldwide had started to come down. The efforts of doctors Sid and Ross to rid the earth of the phantoms were by now common knowledge, but on the flip side very strict efforts had been made to keep what had really happened to the Deep Eyes under wraps. As far as the general public was concerned the team had pulled through the drama with nary a scratch. It was all in a day's work.

   But that was the past, and at this point, everyone was looking forward to the pending festivities. Neil and Ryan had stopped by Jane's apartment to pick up both her and Lita. The latter was Proudfoot's upstairs neighbor, an attractive RN who worked at the Houston Medical Center. She had help tend to Ryan during his stay there, and the two had begun a friendship that solidified after his release. The sergeant had always found some excuse to run into her during his leave, and likewise Lita had somehow found a way to make some time for him. As a result, Ryan's teammates joshed him about having a girlfriend who was five years his elder.

   "Face it, big guy, you're a lady-killer," a morose Neil had said. "Care to share some of that luck?"

   "No 'luck' involved… just be yourself and it'll happen when you're not looking."

   "You know, you're right! So you're saying that if I ignore Jane, then she'll notice me?" His tone was hopeful, but Ryan clapped a hand to his forehead in frustration.

   The door cracked partway open and a woman peered out, but it wasn't Proudfoot…the wide dark eyes and olive complexion bespoke of a Latin heritage. Her full lips glimmered with a sheen of pearlescent red, and they parted in a wide smile as she saw Ryan. She threw the door open wide and launched herself towards him, giving him a fierce embrace.

   "Hey, babe," she gave him a peck on the cheek, not wanting to present too amorous a display. "Hi, Neil. What's going on?" 

   Fleming mumbled something halfhearted as she stepped back a little, spinning in place to show off her evening outfit. "Well, boys? What do you think?"

   Both men were at a loss for words; Lita wore a slinky dark blue off-the-shoulder evening dress that was slit up one side from hem to hip, revealing a generous expanse of slender leg that was balanced atop what must have been a three-inch heel. A thin silver chain encircled her slender waist and a small red-jeweled pendant lay in the hollow of her throat. Her long hair, black as a raven's wing, was partially caught up in an elaborate coiffure that left tresses of it hanging to frame her face. 

   Ryan gave an appreciative whistle. "My, my! Aren't we a sight to behold?"

   "Yes, you know it," she giggled. "And you handsome gentlemen are looking quite sharp, if I do say so myself." 

   "So, uh…where's Jane?" The door had remained open and Fleming was surreptitiously peeking through it. There was no evidence of anyone else within the dim room beyond.

   "She'll be out in a minute."

   Neil sighed and peered at the holographic bars of his wristwatch. "Geez, it's already past ten-thirty! We were supposed to meet the others on the hour," he grumped to Ryan.

   Whittaker placed a large hand on his shoulder. "Man, I told you. Take it easy, we'll make it to the party in time. It's not like we're on an assignment, you know. Tell you what. If we get there before he does, the first round is on you."

   "All right. But the Captain's gonna' be pissed…"

   The door shut firmly behind him. "At ease, corporal!" a familiar husky voice said. Neil saw Ryan's eyes widen slightly as they shifted over his shoulder. He turned, and then gaped. 

   Jane was standing behind him, her gaze coolly returning his own. Her brunette hair had been freed from its customary non-nonsense ponytail and now reached just past the collar of her favorite black leather jacket, which she wore over a dark blue blouse. Her shockingly abridged black skirt was shot through with silvery threads; below it, her athletic legs ended in a pair of shiny black boots. 

   Deep down, Proudfoot was secretly pleased with the reaction but kept her amusement well hidden. She liked making men nervous, especially Neil. _Hell,_ _I can't believe I'm actually doing this!_ _When was the last time the guy had ever been out on a date? _Her fingertips dancing on the keypad beside the door, she code-locked her apartment as her thoughts rambled just a little bit…

   On the return flight from the New York rescue mission, Dr. Ross had persuaded her to give Neil at least a chance, and she had grudgingly agreed to sit with him in the cockpit of the _Black Boa. _ Well, for a little while, anyway. She had plopped down into the co-pilot's seat and attempted to make some sort of conversation, but what emerged sounded contrived, even to her, and she knew that Neil was no dummy. Embarrassed, she managed to dither long enough to make sure that Aki was asleep before slinking back to her seat.

   "One date doesn't mean anything. He's still a pest," she told the scientist after they had landed back in Houston, and the standard debriefing was concluded. The Deep Eyes had left Dorado's squad and were boarding a local ground transport to head back to their new apartments, which was a welcome change from the hotel, fancy suites or no. 

   Aki's brown eyes smiled a little. "But you're still alive, right? Listen, I'll let you in on a little secret. When I first met Gray, I didn't care too much for him either."

   "But _that_ was different!" The glare Jane gave would have shamed a basilisk.

   "Was it?" 

   "Yeah! Because you…I mean, I…" Unexpectedly, she found that her mind had pulled a big fat blank. Flustered, she looked askew at Aki, who wisely said nothing more and let her stew in her own dilemma. 

   "Earth to Jane, come in! Can we go now?" Fleming's voice interrupted her brief reminiscing, and she saw that he was holding an elbow bowed away from his body. She halfheartedly threaded her arm through his, and they followed Ryan and Lita down the short vacant hallway towards the elevators that led to the ground floor. 

   Inwardly she sighed. It was going to be a long night.

                                    *                                  *                                  *

   Downtown Houston was a riot of music, lights and noise. People were everywhere. As soon as the two couples had stepped out of the taxi, they tried to get their bearings and locate the private nightspot where Gray had said their get-together would be held.

   "There, that's the place!" Neil pointed. On the next block ahead and on their left was a building the color of dark bronze and facing a large plaza. The top of the structure was chamfered and projecting from this angled face were three open-air terraces; low shrubbery marched along the edges of the balconies, and people were clustered on all of them. Above the main entranceway at street level a garish sign flickered with the multicolored glow of neon.

   Whittaker had to lengthen his stride to keep pace with Fleming, but he was relieved that Neil had recognized the address so quickly for several people had recognized him, no thanks to his stature. He brushed them off with a curt reply, and hoped that nobody from the media was tailing them. One thing that he could not stand was the press.

   They continued to push through clumps of people, Neil in the lead. Presently they reached their destination and the doorman greeted them, jotting their names down on a list and motioning them to step on through the entrance. Once within the lobby, the two men breathed a little easier as an express elevator stopped for them. They entered, Neil jabbed a button for the top level and the doors hissed shut as the car smoothly began to rise, bypassing all other floors.

   Finally, they stopped and emerged into a spacious lounge. Located one level above the dance floor, it had semi-circular dining areas that were partially recessed, pit like, into the dark gray carpet. One wall was dominated by a long bar, where the mixologists were busy serving up various alcoholic concoctions to those waiting two and three deep. Below the darkened ceiling holograms swam, abstract designs that were constantly changing shape and color. A huge multimedia screen was suspended from the wall opposite the bar, and upon it reporters were continuing their live broadcasts from all around the downtown area. Directly before them and far across the room was a series of sliding glass doors, all open, which led to one of the terraces visible from the street. People came and went freely, admiring the Houston skyline. The constant ambience of conversation and laughter permeated the air, and behind it all, in the background, a live band played in another room somewhere nearby. 

   "Well, do you see him?" Ryan scoped the crowd for any familiar faces, doing his best to look inconspicuous.

   "See who?" 

   "The captain, Neil. You were the one who was in a hurry to get here, remember?" 

   The tech sighed and scanned the groups of people. "That's a negatory, sarge." Then he noticed a well-dressed young woman purposely approaching them, skillfully threading her way across the floor. In one hand she held a small data-pad.

   "Good evening. Are you with Captain Edwards?" she asked pleasantly, her eyes roving across their faces. In spite of himself Neil managed to sneak a peek at the data-pad's tiny screen; he had glimpsed his own face and the info scrolling alongside it. No wonder he had been recognized. He drew himself up and put on his most charming poise. 

   "Ah, that would be us." Beside him Jane rolled her eyes heavenward. 

   "Great! This way, please." She turned and indicated for them to follow. Ryan allowed Lita to walk ahead of him as he asked a question in turn. "Is the captain here?"

   She parted a gaggle of three people with a slight gesture and angled towards a quieter corner of the room, consulting her file. "His name hasn't been checked off on the guest list yet," she said over her shoulder. 

   Whittaker grinned and winked at Fleming. "I'll be sure to order the most expensive thing on the list. Thanks Neil!"

   "Yeah, sure. Whatever, sarge…"

   They stopped at a comfortable booth, off the beaten path from the main flow of patrons. It was partially shadowed, illuminated by an intriguing piece of abstract artwork on the wall. "Captain Edwards and his guest should be arriving very soon though. Here we are. Do you care for anything to drink in the meantime?"

   "Absolutely. What do you have?" Ryan inquired as he shrugged out of his coat. He and Neil waited for the other two to accommodate themselves on the curved bench-type seat and they were given a rundown of the list.

   "I have to say," Proudfoot confessed as she looked out upon the crowd, "I didn't ever think that I would see people so jubilant, at least not in my lifetime."

   Ryan gave her words some thought. "Same thing here. It took some real guts on Dr. Ross' part to do what she did, all things considered. Tonight is going to be a really big deal for a lot."

   "Ain't that the truth!" Neil piped up. "Just think about it…no more of that ugly yellow glow and night. I'll bet that lots of citizens haven't even seen a blue sky."

   Lita leaned against the Whittaker as he agreed. "And now that the phantoms have been eliminated, I've wondered lately…what's going to become of the Deep Eyes?" His question was sobering; the team had always worked as a tight unit ever since its inception as an elite combat unit to help fight the alien 'invasion'. They had been through literally hell and high water under Gray's capable leadership. What was to happen to the four of them now? Were they going to be relegated to humdrum civilian roles like police enforcement?

   "I've heard rumors of New York being rebuilt, and I _was_ born there. I don't think I could ever get used to living in Texas." He chuckled as he noticed Lita's alarm. "Don't worry, I'm sure that I can pull some strings for you too…that is, if you want to go."

   She gave his shoulder a cuff. "Of course, you big lunk, I've never been there! Besides, I still consider you a patient."

   Neil quickly leaned over and whispered to Jane behind his hand. Shock crossed her features and she glared, making him back off quickly. "Neil, how could you?"

   Ryan cast a wary eye at the tech. "What'd he smart off about now?"   

   "I'm not at liberty to say openly, sergeant, but it did include the words 'sponge bath–'" 

   Face reddening, Fleming hunkered down sheepishly. "Hey, just kidding!" 

   "We'll talk later," Ryan replied dryly as their drinks arrived–a gin and tonic for Neil, a Blue Frozen Margarita for Jane, and a Long Island for himself. He looked on in astonishment as a huge glass was set down before Lita. 

   "What is _that?" _he said, peering closer. The liquid within had separated into two layers, red atop clear, and throughout both floated smaller flecks of red and black which looked suspiciously like bits of pepper. Lita had to hold it with both hands, and the ice cubes clinked as she took a sip, swirling it around in her mouth and savoring its flavor.

   "Oh, that's right, sorry…you're not a native Texan. It's a Red Mage. Here, try it." She pushed it over to him, and as he hesitantly raised it Jane and Neil watched him as if he were a lab rat. He paused, and then took a sip. Immediately, he had to suppress a sudden coughing fit as it scratched a burning track down the back of his throat. Lita laughed and gave him a hearty swat between his shoulders.

   "Looks like the big bad sergeant can't handle it!" 

   Ryan coughed and swiped at his watering eyes. "Yeah, it's smooth alright," he wheezed. "Christ! No really, what is it, rocket fuel? You could fly a Copperhead on this stuff. Lita, if you finish that off I'm going to have to carry you home."

   She gave him a sly wink, her mouth hitching into a grin so wicked that a dimple formed in both of her cheeks. "That's the point, babe."

   Ears stinging, the slightly embarrassed Deep Eyes sergeant turned to his two teammates. "So, um, what time is it?" 

   Proudfoot checked her timepiece. "I'll make it simple…five to eleven." She drummed her fingers on the table and gave Neil a tolerant look. "About that big rush to beat the captain here?"

   But Neil wasn't even listening; he was instead staring off past the bar. Then he grinned like a loon and jerked a thumb in the general direction of the main entrance. 

   "Lighten up Jane. Look who just walked in!" He took some of his own advice and squinted into the crowd. Then his eyes widened. "And if that's who I think it is with him, I'd say he has a valid excuse for being tardy!"

(End of first half)


	7. Chapter Six: World's Beginning Pt 2

Author's note: And so here it is (FINALLY!) the last chapter of "Gaia's Gift". Enjoy and review!

Disclaimer: Blah-blah de blah…the usual (yeah, as if you didn't know!)

Chapter Six: World's Beginning, Pt. 2

   Smartly dressed, Gray had gone on a little shopping spree and had managed to find attire in understated colors that complemented him well; black pants and dress shoes and a nicely tailored midnight blue blazer with square gunmetal clasps and pearl cufflinks over a navy blue shirt.

   Aki, on the other hand, had decided to take one step over the line and had chosen an outfit that was considered, to say the least, a bit risqué. It had certainly raised eyebrows wherever she went tonight, but what the hell…having saved the planet she figured she more than deserved it. The day after Christmas she had received her New Year's Eve invitation, and it didn't take her too long to look up the best clothing stylist in Houston. Two days later, she walked into her apartment burdened with bags. Contained within said bags were articles of leather. 

   Black leather. 

   Lots of it. 

   Exclaiming her delight, she had eagerly tried it all on and stood before the holographic imager that displayed her from head to toe in 3D, from all sides, and she liked what she saw. High-heeled boots boosted her height and her body-hugging pants were slung perilously low on her hips. A single zipper appeared to be the only thing boldly holding her short jacket together and its lower edge was nowhere near her waistline. As a result it displayed a daring amount of her bare midriff. She vividly remembered the moment when she had arrived at Gray's place.

   "You're drooling," she teased, almost laughing as his eyes glazed over. It had taken him a moment to recover some semblance of normality; then he crooked a finger at her. She entered his apartment and stepped right up to him, smelling deliciously of leather and perfume.

   "And _you're_ not playing fair." His voice held a note of false sternness.

   "So, just how do intend to level the field, my captain?" she replied demurely. 

   "If you're lucky, you may just find that out later." He pulled her closer yet. 

   "We should get going, Gray," Aki whispered. "If we don't now, well…you know." Her expressive eyes glowed.

   "Indeed." He sighed and reluctantly released her, gathering up his coat, but he did not fail to miss her ill-concealed pout. All of this had happened a mere half-hour ago, and now here in the lounge Gray was aware of heads turning. He tried to appear cool, calm and collected, but Aki clearly didn't care; she almost appeared to thrive on the attention. The same woman who had greeted Fleming and the others materialized, at least diverting some attention, and led them to the rest of the Deep Eyes. After they ran the gauntlet of curious onlookers they finally got to the table. 

   Whittaker scooted over to make some room. "Glad you could make it, Captain! Neil was starting to stress something fierce."

   "Was not!"

   Ryan sighed. "Well, anyway…another round, anyone?" He caught the attention of a passing attendant, who took down everyone's orders and departed.

   Jane gave Neil a nudge. "You're staring," she hissed, although she herself cast a stealthy glance at Aki. Fleming came out of his stupor in time not to make himself look too foolish.

   "What's the matter, Jane? A little jealous, are we?" He found the chance to nettle her well nigh irresistible. She said nothing but chose to reply non-verbally, planting a boot heel firmly on his instep; his wince did not go unnoticed by Ryan, who attempted to downplay the situation.

   "Where is Dr. Sid? I'm surprised that he isn't here." 

   Aki leaned forward, arms crossed on the tabletop. "Not yet…he wanted to look up some old cohorts first."

   "Now that the war is over, what's next?" Lita asked, her large eyes meeting those of the scientist's. "Ryan says that New York is to be restored. Any truth to that?"

   "Yes!" Aki's enthusiasm was obvious. "Dr. Sid has only gotten a few details from the council, but so far it looks like the entire city will be rebuilt on ground level."

   Neil freed his foot and wriggled his toes, checking that nothing was broken. "That's a tall order, Doc."

   "And that's just to start. Cities worldwide are organizing their own teams, sending them out to look for surviving plant and animal life. It'll take time, even with cloning technology, but if we're going to make this planet fit for living again..."

   "'We'?" A tiny crease appeared between Proudfoot's eyebrows.

   "Come one, it's not like we're eligible for retirement yet, Jane." Neil's eyes smiled merrily over the rim of his glass. Before Proudfoot could even dig up a snappy comeback, Gray broke in smoothly.

   "That's right. Aki and Sid are to head the Ecosystem Recovery Division. They'll correspond with others around the world, but will be directly responsible for re-establishing wildlife here on the North American continent. The Deep Eyes will remain on active duty and will be based in Houston for the present time. Our job–" here he interrupted himself as their order arrived–"is to reconnoiter the wastelands for life. Remember the hawk we saw out in Tucson?"

   "Oh, yeah! Then I guess that means no more running around looking for spirit-waves, eh, captain?" 

   Edwards took a sip of his drink, then sat back and grinned. "Afraid not, sergeant. Not unless you want to do more slime-diving!" 

   Before he could say more, a series of tones sounded over the hubbub, and all attention turned to the main view screen. There was a burst of static that cleared to show a live transmission from within the City Council Chambers, and the camera was centered upon a podium that was awash in lights. Behind it stood Councilor Kehyeyan, and stationed beside him were some of the New York Council, the faces of Drake and Hee among them. Hovering about on the fringes several media reporters were just visible, trying to keep out of camera range but their various recording devices drifted into the picture from time to time. In the lower right-hand corner, the glowing numerals of a clock were ticking away the seconds. The time presently read 11:18 PM. 

   "People of Houston, good evening," Kehyeyan began. "Tonight marks a very special juncture in our city's history. As you know, thanks to the valiant efforts of both the military and the science division, the phantoms have been eliminated. And while our sister metropolis of New York has suffered under a terrible tragedy, we will not allow that to sway us from the task of rebuilding that city in all of its glory.

   "Besides Paris, Moscow, Sao Paulo and Melbourne, we are one of the last cities, and the only one in the western hemisphere, with an active barrier. In just under forty-five minutes, however, that will change." He turned aside slightly. An aide handed him a small flat plastic case, no larger than his palm, and opening it he withdrew a thin card, slightly smaller than the common key-cards used for ingress into restricted areas. Upon the surface of this one, though, a smaller square could just be seen, emblazoned with a holographic interface.

   "The chip on this card is encrypted with a code. This code grants access to the cold-fusion generators in Houston's main barrier control station. At 12:00AM, January 1, 2066, these generators will be taken off-line."

   "Bet I could crack that code," Fleming sniffed. 

   "Quiet!" Jane whispered.

   Kehyeyan carefully replaced the card back into its case and secured it on his person, said a few more words, then stepped aside as Councilor Drake took the podium and began fielding questions. 

   Aki really didn't pay much attention to what was being said; she swirled a finger in her drink and fished out a sprig of mint. She took a taste, feeling the warmth travel from her midsection straight to her head (what was she drinking? It had conveniently slipped her mind), then rested upon Gray's shoulder and watched the proceedings with detached interest. She was content; strange as the concept was initially, the Deep Eyes had become her extended family–Ryan's dedication and loyalty, Jane's inner strength, Neil's droll cynicism that concealed a brilliant mind…and of course there was Gray, someone who meant much more to Aki now, and who would always be there for her. The only other person whose presence she wished for was–

   "Excuse me, but is this seat taken?" The voice, warm and benevolent, brought her attention to the fore, and she looked up to see the elderly face of her mentor. She immediately got to her feet and gave him an affectionate hug. It was odd to see him out of his customary lab whites; he had instead donned something that almost resembled an old-fashioned tuxedo. 

   Dr. Sid took a step back and cocked a paternal eye at her. "That's, ah, very…interesting attire you've chosen. Definitely not regulation." 

   Aki blushed and she sat, gesturing for him to take a seat beside her, feeling a little bashful despite the alcohol. "I'm glad that you could make it in time."

   "I almost didn't. Dr. Doyle insisted on giving me his grand tour of the Houston lab facilities. I must say that I'm impressed by the improvements they made ever since I was in New York. Until that city is completed and repopulated, it looks like I'll be using the facilities here."

   "What of all our research data?" Aki remembered the lab's large vault, containing shelf upon shelf of optically encoded files. It represented nearly the entire life's work of Dr. Sid, and also all that Aki had toiled for all these years. If Hein's techs had managed to gain access to them–

   Sid waved a hand in a dismissive gesture. He fixed her with a patient gaze. "Not to worry. I backed those up at several other sites; one server is right here in Houston." "But…the most important data, especially pertaining to our Gaia theory, is stored in an even more efficient computer." He tapped a long forefinger against his temple. "Now, I take it that Aki has mentioned the Eco Division? Good. Let me expound upon it for all of you…"

                                        *                                      *                                      *

   The barrier shimmered overhead as the last minutes of the old year passed. The air on the balcony was charged with anticipation. 

   Barely containing her excitement, Aki squeezed Gray's hand just a little bit harder. A little ways behind them were Ryan and Lita, and off to the side, Jane and Neil could just be seen among the small crowd. Sid had been cornered and spirited away by yet more of his old colleagues. The last Aki saw of him one of them was pressing a drink into his hand while he was animatedly chatting away.

   All attention was riveted on the sky; from the lounge behind, a voice from the New Year's coverage on the screen could be heard, counting down the final thirty seconds.

   "Well, I'll be damned! Is it me, or is the Ice Queen finally thawing?" Gray was discreetly looking off to the left. Proudfoot, the Deep Eyes' resident kick-ass tough-girl, was leaning against Neil, apparently at ease. It was difficult for Edwards to determine how much alcoholic consumption played a part, but at least Jane and Fleming weren't engaging in their customary barb throwing.

   "Aki, I'll bet that once New Year's is over they'll be back to spitting and clawing at each other again."

   She cast a glance at the couple. "You're on, Captain." Aki snaked an arm around his waist, but before Gray could say anything else, the last seconds of the old year arrived. Several people began to count aloud, and others immediately took up the chant.

   "Eight…seven…six…five…four…three…two…one…HAPPY NEW YEAR!" 

   A sea of boisterous voices–both sober and not so–rose all around, mixed with all sorts of various noisy party-makers. All over downtown Houston, searchlights stabbed skeletal fingers of colored lights past the tallest buildings, picking out the greenhouse-like structure of the barrier supports. Then an anxious mood tensed everyone as all eyes turned towards the great bio-etheric field overhead. For a few seconds more, nothing was different. 

   "Look!" someone exclaimed, and pointed towards the west.

   Out towards the perimeter of the city, the familiar omnipresent glow of the barrier had vanished. The blackness began to spread, consuming the golden illumination before it as it bore down upon them like a monstrous malignancy; sector by sector, the powerful emitters were shutting down as power ceased to flow from the massive generators beneath the city. As everyone adjusted to the darkness above the highest buildings, a collective gasp arose, for there now appeared something that very few who lived a sheltered existence inside a barrier city had ever beheld. 

   Against the pitch-black sky, the stars appeared as innumerable points of hard light. 

   Then the barrier was completely extinguished, and there was only another brief moment of darkness before a new source of radiance came into being–fireworks blossomed above the dead barrier emitters. As they did so, the three decks of observers cheered wildly. 

   Gray swept Aki into his arms. "Care like sharing a dance or two with me?"

   She positively beamed and gave him a kiss that he would probably not forget for a long time. "I thought you'd never ask." Together they headed back inside as the city around them celebrated as never before.

                                        *                                      *                                      *

   It was nearly three in the morning and Neil's heart was pounding, not only because he had managed to accompany a somewhat muzzy-headed Jane her back to her place, but because she had not voiced a single objection. He had somehow filched a full bottle of vintage champagne from the bar, and as he now leaned beside the entranceway, the bottle dangling from one hand and waiting for her to unlock her apartment, he tried to adopt a nonchalant mood but just couldn't keep a silly grin off his face. Proudfoot had made the journey from the dance floor back to the living complex relatively wobble-free, and her speech was no longer slurred, but she couldn't seem to enter the correct door combination. Maybe she was still a touch buzzed, or couldn't conceal her nervousness.

   Finally, on the third try, she managed to get it right, tossing her coat into the room. Then she turned to him in the doorway, encroaching well upon his personal space. Her eyes shone with admiration. "Neil…you didn't tell me you were such a good dancer! I _could_ get used to that." 

   _And the urbane Fleming charm strikes again! Ladies and gentlemen, Neil is rounding third on the way home!_

His grin grew along with his bravado."You know, it would be a shame to waste such a nice bottle of bubbly. What say we have a nightcap?"

   There was an awkward silence, during which the two of them locked gazes. His pulse double-timed as he closed his eyes in anticipation of their lips brushing. He could smell the wonderful fragrance of her perfume, and could hear the rustling of her clothes as she stepped close. Her breath was warm, and her lips were just touching his own…before they continued on and to give him a kiss on the cheek. His eyes snapped open as she tittered and slipped past the edge of the half-open door. 

   "Good night, Neil," she said blithely.

   "Wha-what? _Hey!"_ But his protest was to no avail; the door was already swinging shut in his face. "Jane, what are you doing?" he bleated.

   The door cracked open and a sliver of her face and one eye appeared. Below, her slender fingers wrapped around the neck of the bottle and tugged it from his shocked grasp before it slammed shut again. 

   Neil couldn't believe it. His mouth opened and closed, making him resemble a human carp. Finally he managed to splutter, _"Dammit!" _

He glanced up the hallway, and then down it, hoping that there were no witnesses to this rather embarrassing incident. Frustrated, he smacked a hand against the door, which stood unmoving, indifferent to his plight, and received nothing but a stinging palm in return. This was definitely not how he had planned the evening to end. He bet that even Ryan and Lita were probably preoccupied right now. 

   This really sucked.

   "Fine, be that way! I hope you get a hangover!" he spat, and waited for a response, but it appeared that she had indeed retired for now, with his bottle and without him. He eyed the electronic lock, and wondered if he could pick it. At least he could get his champagne back. Yeah, right, and get thrown in the brig for breaking and entering, for starters. He decided to let it go…if Proudfoot was going to be a tease, then so be it because he sure as hell didn't need that. Grunting in disgust, he turned on his heel to leave.

   Behind him, the door popped open yet again, but this time it gaped wider. This was good, for not one but two hands reached out and seized his arm. Neil gave an astonished yelp (was he really so surprised, though?), but the owner of the hands in question only laughed. Jane literally yanked Fleming off his feet and hauled him, unresisting now, into her apartment. The door closed yet again, but this time it locked.

   And it stayed that way.

                                        *                                      *                                      *

   While Fleming was enjoying his nightcap, Gray was swimming up out of slumber. He sensed that his companion was not asleep, so he cracked his eyes open and hoisted himself up on an elbow to peer over her shoulder. 

   Aki's face was a pale half-oval in the darkness of the bedroom, and her hair was spilled out in a dark corona upon the pillow. She gave him a cursory glance before returning her attention to the large window, which ran from floor to ceiling. The blinds were partly open; the rooftops of the neighboring apartment blocks easily visible for the well-appointed living quarters rose higher than the others and looked out towards the eastern side of the city. Beyond the last few adjacent buildings, past a massive, darkened support of the now-unneeded barrier and the remains of the old city, lay the distant plains. An early crescent moon hovered at the edge of this world, shining eerily over the abandoned buildings of outside of Houston and casting a glowing trapezoid of soft radiance onto the carpet. Faintly, sounds of partying could still be heard even at this time of the morning…daybreak was only a few hours away, then the horizon would haze and the lightening sky would herald the break of day, but there were obviously the hardcore party freaks who would not stop celebrating until the crack of dawn.

   "What's wrong, Gray?"

   "I was just about to ask you the same thing."

   For a long moment she remained silent. When she finally spoke, her voice was contemplative. "Mmmm…just thinking about what the next few years are going to bring." 

   "How so?" In the moonlight her eyes were almost luminescent as she looked at him again.

   "Rebuilding the planet is going to be a considerable task. Both for nature and us." Her bare body rustled as it turned beneath the bed sheets. "Dr. Sid and I are going to be quite busy organizing the new Division, you know."

   Gray drew his mouth down in a half-grimace. "And that means what? That we'll be separated again?" he asked warily. "I'm not sure if I like what I'm hearing."

   If he expected a lecture, the reaction he received instead was unexpected; he could almost hear the smile in her voice. "Don't worry. There's one little detail that Sid neglected to mention. You and the Deep Eyes will be working for us." 

   He blinked. "Working for you?"

   "Yes, for us. Dr. Sid, myself, and the Division here in Houston. Do I hear any objections?"

   "Well…I'll have to get back to you on that."

   "See to it that you do, because you'll be receiving your commands from me, _mon capitaine!" _She emphasized her last two words by jabbing his sternum with a forefinger.

   "Okay, maybe so, but until then…I'm your commanding officer, and you'll obey _my_ orders."

   She tilted her chin defiantly. "Or else what?"

   "Or else you'll be detained here, in my quarters, with only military rations and allowed only one visitor, namely me. _That's_ what." His grin was that of a sly fox.

   "In that case, I'll gladly disobey you, captain. Just a single visit, though?"  

   "Yeah. One that lasts all day." He plopped back down, laughing, and after a second Aki herself did the same, then succumbed to a huge yawn. She nestled her face in the hollow of his shoulder and sighed as she felt his fingers run though her hair. "Can discuss the details over breakfast?" she asked drowsily.

   "Absolutely," came the sleepy reply and Aki smiled as her eyelids began to grow weighty. Beneath the hand that was resting lightly on Gray's chest she could feel the reassuring _lub-dub_ of his heartbeat. And just before she drowsed off again, her inner voice spoke a simple phrase that followed her into dreamland.

   _At last, I can dream in peace._

_                                        ~           **E          P           I            L           O          G          ~**_

_   Nearly half a continent away lay an ordinary dwelling near the west coast, on the outskirts of what was once the rambling megalopolis of Los Angeles. Within, a slouched figure silently watched a video screen as yet another broadcast aired, this one from the Hawaiian Islands, the inhabitants celebrating as the New Year arrived._

_   BFD_, as his father would have said.

   His icy eyes betrayed no emotion, they were bloodshot from lack of sleep (thanks to the painkillers), and the half the contents of a bottle of vintage brandy. On the small tabletop beside him rested a thick-bottomed glass, half-full. Awkwardly he picked it up with his left hand, his movements restricted by the sling that held the knitting bones of his broken right arm immobile. He absently swirled the dregs of amber liquid within the glass and continued to glower at the screen without really seeing it.

   Then he came back to himself, rising to his feet and crossing over to the window to stand behind the glass, being careful not to jostle his injured arm. He knocked back another slug of his drink before transferring the glass to the stiff digits of his right hand as he stroked his chin with leather-clad left fingers. The gesture was characteristic of him, ingrained as it was in his spirit.

   _Spirit. _

Damn, there was that word again.He snorted to himself in the small warm room, which was softly lit only by a small lamp on the nightstand. 

   _Well, doctor…it appears that I owe you one. _He drained the glass. _Touché._

The incessantnoise of the holo-screen receded into the background as he continued to look out across the open fields and the small range of hills marching nearby, still shrouded in the near-darkness. The old ranch-style house was owned by an HMA associate, a major who had kept it well-maintained all these years in case humanity ever emerged from behind the barriers and reclaim its birthright. Most had ridiculed the notion, but from recent developments it certainly looked like that time had arrived. 

   There was a hesitant, almost apprehensive knock at the door, and another moment passed before he deigned to answer. 

   "Come," he bade, not bothering to turn.

   A heartbeat passed and the old wooden door cautiously opened, its hinges complaining. A torn and dirty black leather overcoat creaked softly as it swung from its hook on the backside. Footsteps approached, ceased beside him.

   "How are you feeling?" The voice was male and not young.

   The fingers tightened slightly around the empty glass. "Better. A testament to your medical proficiency, Gary." 

   The other man gathered up a small smile. Twelve days ago there had been a flash in the early afternoon sky and an ear splitting crash out in the fields. A smoke column had led him to the impact site. Injured and bleeding, the escape pod's pilot had evidently endured a very rough ride…the wreck lay at the end of a ragged furrow like an exclamation mark. The occupant within had suffered a mild concussion, a broken arm and some the bumps and bruises associated with atmospheric re-entry, but he would live. After days of medical attention he was lucid enough to speak clearly but would not reveal his point of origin.

   Major Alton, who had recognized this man despite his injuries, and was wise enough not to probe too deeply, suspected that a great deal remained unspoken. He was hiding something–sights locked away deep beneath human consciousness haunted his gaze. Alton realized that some things were better left unasked, for the answers could be disturbing.

   The major gathered his courage. "I'll have a meal ready at oh-eight-hundred, and…" He stopped as those lupine eyes settled upon him and an eyebrow lifted in an impatient arch. 

   "Humph. That sounds…wonderful." He turned on a heel and strode back to the small bedside table, setting his glass down and punching a key on the screen's remote. The joyous racket on the display ceased immediately.

   "Very well, then. See you in the morning." Alton began to head towards the door, glad to be out of the room. But as his hand reached the knob, the man behind him spoke again…it was almost as if he had been timing it, but the voice was oddly out of character. 

   "One more thing," it said.

   Alton turned, his hand still touching the cool comforting metal of the doorknob. The lean silhouette before the window regarded him silently, holding a glass that had mysteriously refilled itself, and took a single step forward. His face illuminated by the lamp, General Douglas Hein raised his glass in a toast.

   "Happy New Year, Major."                                                                              

~ FINIS~


End file.
